Of Rain and Blossoms
by c.pham
Summary: It hasn’t stopped raining in Konoha since Sakura was taken away, and Kakashi's life changes dramatically when his former student finally returns. KakaSaku, obviously. Set five years in the future where Sakura is 19. Reviews please!
1. Prologue

This is my second fic in the workings, and it's about one of my newer favorite couplings, Kakashi and Sakura. SasuSaku was actually my favorite to begin with, but as I read the few KakaSaku fanfics on ff, my mind easily changed. If you'd like to read my first SasuSaku fanfic, it's titled _Penance._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

* * *

**Of Rain and Blossoms: Prologue**

It was raining. It was always raining. Kakashi woke up to the sound of thunder and looked at his clock,

'_8 AM… well I still have another hour or so,' _he thought to himself. Actually he was supposed to meet Naruto and Sasuke at 7:30. He looked out the window and sighed – the rain hadn't stopped for three months now. It hadn't stopped raining in Konoha since Sakura was taken away.

'_Sakura.'_

Kakashi rolled out of bed at the thought of his former student. Her birthday had passed two weeks ago, so she would be19 now. He glanced at a framed picture that he kept near his bed. Deciding that he owed it to his pink haired student, Kakashi donned his Jounin uniform and left his apartment, pulling his infamous mask up around his face.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto waited annoyingly for their former sensei. Both highly acclaimed Jounin, they were no longer under the tutelage of the great Copy Ninja, Kakashi, but were often sent on missions with him. 

"I bet you twenty dollars he'll be an hour late today…" Naruto started. Sasuke smirked as their routine started.

"I bet you he'll only be another minute."

"Yeah right! Kaka-sensei? You're on."

"Dobe. He's right there." Sasuke pointed beyond the bridge. About fifty yards away was a head of messy silver hair.

"Teme, Sasuke, you cheated… I didn't see him there. Why is he so early, anyway?" Naruto whined as he handed Sasuke a twenty dollar bill.

Kakashi strolled up to the two Jounin, chuckling slightly beneath his mask. "Yo."

In a mirage of smoke and leaves, the three ninja disappeared.

* * *

Springing from branch to branch, the three remaining members of the former Team 7 made their way through Konoha's forest. Their mission was to track down an escaped convict of their village and bring him back to Konoha's correctional institution. Sasuke and Naruto were ahead as the eldest of the team trailed closely behind with his nose buried in a certain novel. 

Kakashi's concentration was interrupted when a single strand of pink hair floated by him. His hand shot out to snatch it from the air, and he landed swiftly on the branch below him. Naruto and Sasuke stopped when they noticed he was no longer following, and turned back to meet him. As they came closer and saw what he was dangling from his fingers, they froze.

* * *

sorry this is so short. i'm gonna try to get the first two chapters out today or tomorrow though, so no need to worry. would anyone like to volunteer to proofread for me? let me know. 


	2. So Far

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter One: So Far**

* * *

Sakura sneered as her kunai came into contact with another. She briefly looked into the eyes of her enemy; a six foot barbarian covered in steel armor. She made one last push against his blade before springing backwards, her feet skidding along the dirt. She focused all her chakra to the soles of her feet before dashing towards her assailant again, creating seals on one hand and throwing her kunai at him with the other. "Kage Bunshin no jitsu!" 

Three identical kunoichi appeared beside her, splitting off to deal with the other three shinobi that had chased her so far into the forest. The leader of the group easily slapped Sakura's kunai away. Sakura leaped into the air, twisting her body to swing one foot towards her opponent's head, followed by the other. While the first kick landed, her other foot was caught, and Sakura was thrown against a tree. She panted heavily and forced herself to get up. She couldn't lose here – she had already come so far.

------------- flashback --------------

_**December 23rd:** Sakura was sent on a mission to retrieve a scroll from the Cloud country, accompanied by a Chunnin. It was a fairly easy C ranked mission, and she was only sent on such a low ranking task to help Kio on his first day as a Chunnin. _

_On their way to the Cloud country, they ran into a group of Stone ninja, and thinking them to be friendly, decided to walk with them for a while, since they were going the same way. Things had been going fine, and they parted each other's company a few hours later. Sakura and Kio retrieved the scroll from the Cloud country, and returned to Konoha safely two days later._

_**December 31st:** Sakura dried her hair with a towel, just coming out of the shower. She yawned as she crawled into bed, tired from a long day of training with Tsunade. _

_**January 1st:** Naruto knocked on Sakura's apartment door, but to no avail. Sakura did not show up at the bridge this morning, and he was worried she might be sick. However, it was very unlikely for her not to at least call ahead. He tried the doorknob, and after finding it unlocked, treaded into her apartment quietly. He nervously made his way to her bedroom and poked his head through the door, only to find that Sakura was not in her bed, and had been replaced by a large stain of blood._

------------- end flashback --------------

* * *

Sakura was pinned down beneath her enemies' leader. She was on the brink of unconsciousness, her face bloody. She knew that even if the man released her from his hold, she would still probably be unable to move. Three shinobi lied unconscious or dead around her, but more had unexpectedly shown up in their place. With most of her chakra depleted, she was easily overpowered. One of her assailants was moving to fit a large metal collar around the kunoichi's neck, before suddenly; the man on top of her was lifted easily into the air.

Sakura blinked a few times, fighting to remain lucid, but her vision became dark and blurry. She only barely recognized a head of silver hair, and a Konoha head protector. It seemed to be speaking.

"You're all going to die today."

* * *

Tsunade stared down at her once lost student in concentration. It would take a while to heal Sakura's injuries, and even longer to rid her of the strange poison that seemed to saturate every iota of her thin body. She had to stop herself from roaring loudly into the air. 

She had always thought her subordinate to be a kind and forgiving young woman. She almost never did anything wrong and lived to protect the people she cherished and loved. When sent on assassination missions, she was always remorseful after the kill. One mission report that Tsunade received from Shikamaru stated that Sakura had even whispered an apology before slicing her target's throat.

Who could have done so much damage to such a girl? What had happened in these three months? The Hokage glanced down at the damage done to Sakura's pelvic area. It was an unmistakable answer to her question. She was only glad that none of Sakura's injuries had been too severe, and she would still be able to get up in two weeks and live the life of a shinobi. The only other factor to consider was her emotional and mental state.

A loud crash was heard outside of the emergency room, but it didn't stop Tsunade from tending to the student that she would always see as her own pink-haired daughter.

* * *

There was a hole in the wall, where Naruto's fist had landed, just inches away from Sasuke's head. As he yanked it out angrily, crumbs of dry wall and drops of blood fell to the floor. Sasuke stared blankly down the hospital hall, unmoving, and uncaring of Naruto's sudden outburst.

"Oi, Naruto. Calm down, will you?" Kakashi urged in his usual monotonous tone.

"Why did this happen? Whoever those bastards were, I'll never forgive them."

A long silence filled the air, and the first one to break it was the least expected of them all.

"What took her so long to escape?"

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, noticing that his eyes had turned a familiar red. _He's as angry as Naruto…_ "No doubt, something was preventing her from fighting back for three months."

The three of them stood at attention as Tsunade, after three hours, finally walked through the emergency room doors. "She'll be okay, but you'll have to visit her tomorrow."

"Tsunade-obaa chan, why can't we see her now!"

Tsunade became stiff, fighting the instinct to flick Naruto across the hall. "BECAUSE I SAID SO! And how many times have I told you NOT TO CALL ME THAT?" she panted heavily, trying to regain her composure. "Anyway, like I said, she'll be fine. She had a few broken bones and some cuts and bruises, but I'm confident that I've healed all of it. Though she seemed to have some sort of poison in her system, it looks like the effects of it have already worn away and it will be completely out of her system in a day or two. You should all go home and get some rest. It's been a long and hard day for all of us."

Kakashi and Sasuke nodded briefly as they walked away. Naruto whined a bit longer before finally giving up and catching up with the other two.

Tsunade sighed softly, her body tense from the operation. She glanced over her shoulder to the emergency room. "Now Sakura… here is the hard part."

* * *

sorry, not much kakasaku action yet, but i'll get to it soon, i promise. im not even really satisfied with this chapter, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to share. 

- cpham


	3. Normalcy

Thanks for the reviews, guys. Give me more!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Naruto owns me.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Normalcy**

Tsunade looked at the large pile of paperwork on her desk apprehensively. It had been three hours since she came into the office, and she still hadn't gotten around to doing it. She reached for the first manila folder with a defeated sigh, knowing Shizune was bound to pop up out of nowhere soon.

But instead of her attendant, it was a certain masked Jounin that poofed into her office with an unconscious body slung over his shoulder. He dropped the body onto her floor without grace. "Mission complete."

Tsunade nodded, "I expect a full mission report by tomorrow morning." She paused, and after a moment, started again. "Sakura woke up a few hours ago. She's still at the medical ward."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows slightly "Do the others know?"

"I haven't told them myself, but they usually come visit her at separate times."

Kakashi gave a final short nod before walking out of the office and leaving the door open. "Take that one back to his cell." He said as he headed leisurely down the hallway.

One of the Chunnin posted outside Tsunade's door moved to follow his orders.

* * *

Sakura stared up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. It probably was, actually. Choosing not do dwell on the events of the last three months any longer, she started to sit up slowly. As her vision started to go a little dark, she felt dizzy and paused. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. Suddenly she felt strong hands on her shoulders supporting her. 

"Kaka-sensei… thank you."

"Ah, it's no problem. How are you feeling?"

"Just a little weak… dizzy."

"Well you'll probably get better in no time." He watched her with a critical eye, looking over her condition. He glanced into her eyes and saw the turmoil in them. It struck him harder than it probably should have. He guessed it was because he was used to her being so happy and protected. "Did Tsunade ask you any questions about what happened?"

She nodded in response. "She didn't want to start so soon, but she had to know more about the poison and how I received my injuries." She stared distantly at the wall for a while in silence. Kakashi didn't interrupt her.

"Was it you?"

"What? Ah, yes, I brought you back here."

"Thanks."  
"Sakura… you never have to thank me for being there for you. You should know that by now." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and then shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to displaying such affection for his students… even if they weren't really his anymore. But after three months of worrying about her life, thinking she might be dead, he guessed it couldn't be helped.

She nodded again.

"Sakura" another voice called from the door. Sakura turned her head to see Sasuke there, staring at the two.

"Sasuke-kun… it's good to see you." She had long since gotten over her infatuation with the young Uchiha, but the suffix still remained out of habit. She didn't remember when and didn't really notice when it happened, but she gave up chasing him after months of realizing he was just too dense to allow himself to be happy. She was defiant at first, of course, but eventually the feeling dissipated into a memory.

Sasuke looked at the girl, relieved she had come out of her long sleep. It was true that he cared about her, but it was more as a sister than anything else. There might have been a time when he seriously contemplated being with her the way she wanted him to, but he ignored it. He was incapable of that sort of feeling, and didn't want to be unfair to her. He didn't want to cast her away as he would some other girl. He was on a mission to revive his clan, and time proved more important to him than love.

"I'm glad you're awake. What happened to you, anyway?"

Sakura flinched at his cut-to-the-chase attitude… "Can we talk about it when I'm feeling better?"

He nodded. "Of course. Sorry."

She tried to get out of bed, but once again felt Kakashi's hands on her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going?"

"Kaka-sensei, I'm starving." She whined.

He smiled as the normalcy crept back into their lives. "Why don't we wait till Naruto get's here?"

"Okay. Y'know for once, you were the first one to arrive." She chuckled. Sasuke smirked.

Two hours later, Naruto finally arrived with a large bouquet of flowers. After nearly being suffocated by his tight embrace at finding her awake, they decided to go out to eat. She needed to find some clothes first, so they swung by her place first. At her step, Sasuke suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Wait… don't go in there."

"Huh? Sasuke, what are you talking about?"

Realization donned on Kakashi's face, or what was seen of it anyway. With a poof, he disappeared.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with confusion. "What the hell?"

In Sakura's apartment, Kakashi made his way towards her bedroom and stopped at the door. Everything had been left the way it was the night Sakura disappeared. Everything including the large body sized circle of blood on her sheets. He removed the sheets and disposed of them, frowning as the same stain appeared on her mattress. The blood had seeped through… he decided he would deal with it at a later time when Sakura wasn't home, and found the linen closet. After placing fresh white sheets on her bed, he poked his head through her window and called down to them. "It's fine now, Sakura-chan!"

* * *

"So, Sakura-chan, will you be going back to your Jounin duties?" Naruto inquired, hours later at their favorite pub. It had been their favorite pub since she turned sixteen. In Konoha, that was the legal age of drinking for ninja. Age was a trivial thing in the life of a shinobi. However, Sakura would obviously not be drinking tonight. 

"Well… I guess after I'm back at full strength. Probably a couple more days…" She had thought about it earlier in the hospital when Tsunade told her she could come back whenever she was ready. She felt she would be ready soon enough. She hadn't even thought about the last three months as much as she thought she would, and she was glad she had friends to dull the pain for her.

"Are you sure you should rush back into it like that?" Sasuke sounded skeptical. Sakura was certainly a stronger ninja now than she was three years ago, but she was as fragile as ever. He didn't know what happened to her while she was gone, but he could only assume the worst.

"Yeah, actually I think it'll be good to keep myself busy."

By the end of the night, Sasuke and Naruto were arguing over who could digest the most alcohol, and Sakura stated she was getting tired and got up to leave. Kakashi found himself walking her home, and told the others he would see them tomorrow morning.

Before long, they arrived at Sakura's apartment complex and Kakashi waited for her to go in. Sakura's hand held the door knob hesitantly, and after inhaling deeply, started to turn it. Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to be alone if you aren't ready, Sakura."

She laughed nervously… "You'd think I'd be a little more grown up about this, but I guess… I don't know."

"It's okay. I can go up with you and wait till you fall asleep before I leave."

"Actually… would it be okay if I stayed at your place? I – I know why Sasuke made me wait for you to go in earlier, but it didn't help me to stop remembering."

Kakashi hesitated... "Well… sure. Of course."

* * *

Sakura stepped into Kakashi's small apartment, and looked around briefly. The furniture was black, and contrasted nicely with his white walls and carpet. It was nice.

"You can have my bed tonight. I'll take the couch."

"Thank you."

They chatted for a while in the living room, about when went on in Konoha while she was gone. She smiled upon hearing that Naruto had finally caught on to Hinata's most obvious interest in him, and they had been going out for a little over a month right now. Sasuke was going to take the ANBU exams in a couple of weeks, which didn't surprise her in the very least. The fact that Naruto quickly enlisted himself as well when he found out Sasuke was surprised her even less. She wondered if she would do the same. She did want to keep herself busy, didn't she? She wasn't sure she was ready yet. It had taken her a year to catch up to Sasuke and Naruto's Jounin ranking.

Kakashi excused himself to take a short shower and found Sakura still on his couch, deep in slumber. He carefully gathered her into his arms and carried her to his bedroom, easily taking her in one arm to draw the blanket down before tucking her in gently. He stood above her for a few minutes, staring down at her soft, delicate features. She looked a little skinnier than before, but that was really to be expected. He reached down and brushed some hair from her face before wondering what exactly he was doing there watching her sleep. _' 'The hell is wrong with you?'_

He shook his head silently and returned to the couch.

* * *

thanks for reading. i'll try to update soon, but i dont want to neglect my other fic, so i'll try not to make you wait too long. 


	4. Chance for Closure

Thanks for the reviews; keep them coming, and sorry it took me a bit longer to update.

As for the people that so graciously volunteered to proofread for me; thanks, but i just realized i get too anxious to hurry up and post the next chapter right after i write it. If however, you want to email me some suggestions after you read it here, that will of course be fine, and i'll appreciate any constructive criticism i can get.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Chance for Closure**

Sakura woke to the soft mumblings of a certain masked Jounin sleeping next to her. She had been staying in Kakashi's apartment for the past month, and they started sharing his bed casually, as his couch was not very comfortable. She felt bad for inconveniencing his life like this, but could not bring herself to go back to her own apartment, much less stay anywhere by herself. It was ridiculous when she thought about it. She was a very able bodied Jounin herself and was capable of protecting herself. But these four weeks had been so nice and comfortable that she felt she did not want to leave it. She never felt safer anywhere but beside his strong presence.

Kakashi never objected to her staying with him for so long; in fact he found he rather enjoyed her company. And in some fathering way, he felt better knowing he could be sure she was safe. As much as he wouldn't like to admit it, he was always very attached to his former student. He held a soft spot for the young kunoichi, and always went easier on her when she was training as a genin.

Sakura checked the clock with sleepy eyes. It was 3 AM, and Kakashi was talking in his sleep. It wasn't the first time she'd heard him like this. When she was a genin, she was always the last to fall asleep on missions. She'd often keep herself awake with fright and anticipation. She leaned over and pulled the blanket up over Kakashi's shoulder, stopping briefly to gaze at his tattoo in admiration. '_ANBU – why did I sign myself up for the exam? I'm not ready for it…I'm not ready to leave here. The other three don't know… they'd probably disapprove,' _she thought silently before drifting back to sleep.

Five hours later, she found herself waking again to the soft aroma of coffee. She sat up slowly and looked around. Kakashi was always the first to wake and be ready for the day, which was surprising since he was always the last to arrive anywhere. She chuckled when she thought of this and took the mug from the nightstand. It was always there for her in the morning, freshly brewed and made to her liking. Breathing in the smell, her eyes closed with relaxation before drinking and letting the warmth sink into her body.

"Ah you're awake. You should get up; we both have orders to meet with the Hokage." Kakashi stood in the doorway with his own mug in hand. The sun shining through the window caused an almost blinding glare in his head protector.

"Oh… yeah, okay. Let me just jump in the shower." Orders? She hadn't received any orders since she got back to Konoha. She figured Tsunade was tired of her dragging her ass around the village with nothing to do.

* * *

Tsunade picked her head up off the desk and wiped the drool from her mouth as the door creaked open. She looked up at the two Jounin in front of her. 

"We have reason to believe that a group of rogue ninja are planning some sort of operation concerning Konoha. These ninja… they are suspected to be the group that abducted you, Sakura." Well there was no use in beating around the bush, Tsunade always felt. She could see Sakura's body go stiff.

"What kind of operation?"

"That has yet to be determined. We would like you and Kakashi to do a recon mission."

"Wh-What? I can't... I can't do that."

"Tsunade-sama… maybe I should just go alone." Kakashi interjected.

"Sakura has dealt with them before. She knows their location. She knows what to expect."  
"Tsunade-" he tried again.

"I won't ask you again. I'm sorry Sakura; it has to be this way. In the end I think it might… help you have closure."

She only nodded. Of course she understood. "How long?"

"You will take up base somewhere near their headquarters and infiltrate at night. You'll have a month to get all the information you can find concerning who they are, if and when their operation might take place, and what it actually is."

"Hai."

"Hai."

"Uchiha Sasuke will be your contact. He'll meet with you every Sunday night. Sakura, you'll have to tell us everything you know about their location and who they are. Then set up a checkpoint with Sasuke. You leave tomorrow."

* * *

------- flashback -------- 

_Sakura drew in a breath and focused all her chakra to her chest in concentration. She had to work quickly before the poison spread to her other hand. It would be difficult to do, but she had to try. _Horse – Dragon – Horse – Snake. _Again… there was still time. _Horse – Dragon – Horse – Snake. _Again… _Horse – Dragon…_ Damnit!_

_The poison took her whole body and Kuroda was slobbering above her, with that look in his eyes. She hated that look. He took her again… Sakura counted it to be the 52nd time. Sakura always counted. As he desecrated her body, she looked up at the ceiling. Tears never came anymore and she knew would never, could never, cry again. She died that night. She died every night._

_Kuroda was finished with her. Another took his place._

_For the next month, she would continue to try the one handed seals before the poison slowly took her left hand. _Horse – Dragon – Horse – Snake. Horse – Dragon – Horse – Snake. _Each night she got better… after all, she had amazing chakra control, and was the shrewdest of all Konoha kunoichi. She believed it._

------- end flashback --------

* * *

"I'm afraid, Kakashi." Sakura looked out the window at the dimming sunset. Kakashi was pulling his vest off and hanging it up in the closet. 

"I wont let anything happen to you. I'll die before I let that happen."

"I don't want that for you either."

He sighed… he knew that Sakura shared the same morals as he did when it came to comradery. He pretty much instilled them in her when she was young. He knew she would rather let herself perish before letting him die in her place, but he figured he was faster than she was by a long shot. "Sakura…do you trust me?"

"Of course I do." Of course she did.

He sat next to her on the bed. "It's just recon… we don't have to engage the enemy… we're just going to look around."

"And if we get caught? What then? I go back to that… that room? I… I don't want to go. I don't want to go!" her hands were shaking uncontrollably and she took up a fetal position upon his bed. Kakashi's visible eye widened for a brief second before he found his arms springing around her shoulders, his hand in her hair.

"I know you don't want to tell anyone what they did to you. I won't ask you to tell me. I won't ask you to relive that pain. I won't let you. Do you understand, Sakura? I won't let that happen to you again." He tightened his embrace around her as she racked silent, tearless sobs. In all honesty, anyone could guess what horrible things they had done to the pink haired beauty. It was obvious. She was probably the only female in their building… they kept her there for three months and came to her when they became lonely at night. It just made him think that they were planning something fairly large if they couldn't spare a few moments in a bar, picking up some maid.

He gently untangled one arm from around her to lift up his head protector and reveal his Sharingan to her. Sakura looked up into the mysterious eye as she did most nights when she found it hard to rest. Slowly her eyes blinked a few times before they closed and she drifted into sleep. Kakashi gently lowered her into bed, his left arm still around her back. Rather than pull it out, he lay beside her, content to just hold her as she slept peacefully in his arms. ---

* * *

to be continued 

Ok, so I realize my chapters are pretty short compared to the norm, but I guess that will improve over time. I don't really have anything planned for the future of this story – I'm really just sort of winging it. I'll probably sit down and try to figure out what direction i want the plot to go and how i want it to end, just so it doesnt end up being like 50 chapters long. Dont worry, it'll probably be at least 15.


	5. Changes

Sorry this came so late; I've been a little busy at home. Thanks for the reviews, and keep them coming!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Changes**

Sakura sat up on the bridge railing, staring up at the sky and thinking about the conversation she had with her former sensei the night before. She had been waiting there for around half an hour now, but she didn't really mind. It gave her time to think and collect herself before the difficult mission they were about to embark on. When Kakashi finally showed up, they quickly fell back into their old routine.

"You're late!"

"Well I'm sorry, but while I was walking, I saw this black cat in my path, so naturally, since black cats are bad luck, I turned around and I had to -- "

"Liar!" she interrupted. "Explain to me how we can both leave from the same apartment and you're still an hour late?"

"I just had to pick up a few things for the trip. Sorry to keep you waiting; but honestly you should be used to it by now." He smirked beneath his mask.

She chuckled at the normalcy of it all. But her smile soon faded away as she turned towards the direction of the gate. "Kakashi, I --"

"Remember what I said last night, Sakura. I meant every word."

She nodded silently and they both disappeared together in a rain of petals and leaves.

* * *

Kakashi stole a glance towards the kunoichi beside him. She seemed so different from the girl he taught for several years. She was obviously older now, and her face had lost its baby fat and became thinner and more defined. She had high cheekbones and had grown into her forehead. Her forehead protector now hung from her neck and her side swept bangs framed her face nicely. Her hair had gotten a little darker with time, but was still that unusual but fiercely intriguing rosy pink. For the mission, Sakura had tied her hair back into a long braid that reached the small of her back. Tightly wrapped around her braid was a strip of thin black leather, forming criss-crosses along her hair. She wore a minimal amount of makeup – a little eyeliner above her eyes, and some sheer gloss on her lips. Her eyes were still the same green-blue color, but Kakashi couldn't help but notice the lack of brightness in them now. 

She now wore a sleeveless hooded black vest that stopped just above her belly button, with mesh garments underneath, and matching mesh arm bands. Black fingerless gloves with shiny metal plates covered her hands; one etched in Konoha's leaf symbol, and the other with a simple circle that signified her family's seal. Army-green shorts that touched her mid-thighs and long black leg warmers from the tops of her knees to her heels completed her ensemble. It was a drastic change from her red dress-like shirt she had worn in her childhood, and even her modified version of that uniform from her Chunnin days. Kakashi knew she wasn't one to comply to the strict Jounin lifestyle and wear the boring uniform that he himself wore everyday, but he hadn't expected her to become so bold over the years.

He found himself thinking about the Jounin exam, and how Sakura had surprised them all with her strength and speed. She still had very little stamina, but easily compensated that with her excellent control of chakra combined with her advanced strategic skills. She couldn't last long in a fight, but could beat them with fast and effective tactics. She ended things quickly to save her strength and never pushed her opponent any farther than needed. She had respect for life, whether it was hers or her enemy's; and as a medical ninja, she forbade herself to waste it if it wasn't necessary. In the end, she had become a strong and respectable kunoichi among the ranks of the elite. He was proud and even admired the amount of effort she gave to grow stronger. Once in the shadow of her most remarkable teammates, she would not be left behind again.

Springing from tree to tree, Kakashi knew that it was about that time. They had been traveling at high speed for three hours, and Sakura usually became worn out by now. They kept moving until they reached a nice little clearing in the forest, Sakura's soft panting ever present beside him.

"Okay, we should stop here for tonight. I'll take the first shift, so you can get some rest."

"Hai. Wake me up when you get tired." Twigs were heard snapping in the distance. "What was that?"

Kakashi fixed his posture and became more alert, scanning the trees around them. "I can sense three presences coming from multiple directions."

"Just three?" Sakura relaxed a little. One of them could easily handle three strangers.

"Yeah, they don't seem like shinobi – their chakra is erratic and untrained. Probably just some looters." He chuckled. "You could just go on to sleep. I'll be back after I deal with them. Stay here."

Sakura was hesitant at first but continued to roll out her sleeping bag and made a small fire beside her. Of course she wasn't going to go to sleep, and she knew Kakashi didn't really think that was a good idea, so she stood leaning against a tree silently. After a short while, she sighed softly. "If you leave now, you won't be hurt. I'm far too tired to deal with bandits tonight." It was a bold statement, considering she didn't even know what she could be up against, and she didn't really feel as confident as she sounded. Truthfully, she was terrified – this would be her first battle since her horrible flight back to Konoha. She didn't know if she could stop herself from choking, but knew she didn't really have a choice.

"Long day, was it? Well maybe I'll just help you relax a bit." A man's voice called to her.

"I doubt it. This is your last warning. Leave now," she warned quietly. It was almost a whisper.

"I can see you shaking, love."

"Maybe I'm just excited… or angry. You probably wouldn't want to see me angry."

"Au contraire… whores like you are cutest when angry." A man jumped out of the bushes, his fist aimed at Sakura's face. He expected to feel his hand make contact with skin, but yelled in pain when he hit the tree instead. Suddenly he felt the prick of a needle on the back of his neck.

"I could kill you now." It was a statement, not bold or cocky, but the sad truth. She seemed sorry.

"P-Please." His eyes widened for a second before everything became black.

Kakashi came back with an unconscious body under each arm, and found Sakura asleep with another man tied to a tree. He chuckled and dropped the captive's friends beside him. Standing above them, he shook his head. "Now what am I going to do with you three?"

The next morning, a very unhappy man looked down at the two shinobi sprinting sixty feet below him and his two teammates. He yelled for them and the pink haired woman looked up amusedly at the three unfortunate bandits tied to the tops of three very high trees. "We should get them down, yknow."

"I've already sent a dog back to Konoha. Someone will probably pick them up tomorrow."

* * *

They arrived at a small inn that night, about half way to their destination. It had just begun to rain very hard on them as they sprinted to the establishment. Sakura immediately ran to the lobby fireplace as she waited for Kakashi to get their rooms. The old man behind the counter studied the silver haired newcomer in front of him. 

"Would you and your wife like a king sized room? We have one available on the second floor," the innkeeper smiled widely.

"Wife? Oh, no we aren't married. We'd like separate rooms, please." Kakashi sweatdropped.

"Actually, it's the only room we have left right now."

"That's fine," Sakura called from the hearth.

"Ah, well I guess it will be okay. Please make sure we are not disturbed." Kakashi figured she was used to sleeping in the same room with him by now.

"Hai… second floor, room 205."

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei… do you think we can just take the day off tomorrow? We can spend some time in this village; how about it?" The winding stairs seemed to never end, and Sakura shivered from her soaked clothing and hair.

"Well… perhaps we could… whether we get there tomorrow or the next day, it's still only recon."

"Then it's settled!" Sakura's face lit up and Kakashi couldn't help but smile beneath his mask. It had been a long time since he'd seen her excited for anything, and he wasn't about to give that up.

"Hai, hai. First we need to get you inside." They had finally reached the door to their room and Kakashi slipped the key in and opened it. The room was exceptionally large, with one king sized bed facing a large window. A small desk sat in the corner of the room, a few feet from the bathroom door.

Kakashi tossed his companion a small box and when she caught it, she looked at him questioningly.

"Hair dye?"

"Your hair color is a little too obvious. They know you."

"Okay…" She frowned.

"Your hair will turn back to it's original color by the time we get back to Konoha."

"Oh, alright. Thanks."

"Go take a warm shower and use that. I'll secure the room."

Kakashi spent some time finding available exits around and in the room. Since they were only on the second floor, it would be easy for both of them to jump from their window. There was a ventilation shaft on the ceiling that they could use if they needed to hide, and there were three stairwell exits on their floor, outside their room. He checked the phone line, and unscrewed the receiver to check for any bugs, and ran his fingers along the underside of the desk and bed. Things seemed fine, but it never hurt to be safe. By the time he finished, he could hear the water stop in the bathroom. Sakura stepped back into the room in her towel and her new hair color and Kakashi took some time to look her over.

Apparently, Sakura refused to cover all of her hair, so she still had some remaining streaks of pink among the dark blackish plum color of the dye; mostly around her face, and fewer around the rest of her head. It was definitely different to see her this way; even more different than her change of clothing over the years. She looked darker, and it seemed to fit her more, considering the mood she displayed lately. The change of hair color actually made her eyes look darker as well; more of a deep green without their usual sea tint. Kakashi nodded in approval and then turned his back to her to allow her to change.

"I look so different," Sakura commented as she pulled on an oversized shirt and some comfortable sweat shorts.

"Hai, but it's not bad. You'll get used to it."

"I like it, actually." Neither of them were too surprised. "Ok I'm done."

Kakashi turned around again. "So, we'll spend tomorrow here in this village before we continue to the Stone Country; hai?"

Sakura cringed visibly. She dreaded their arrival and the start of their damnable mission. "Yeah, it should be nice to relax a bit before we go."

"Alright… I'm going out for a drink then. Coming?"

"Um, I think I'm just going to stay in for the night."

"Sure. I won't go far, so if anything happens, you should be able to sense me." He stepped to the door as Sakura got into bed.

"Kakashi?"

"Hm?" he responded from the open door.

"I'm glad you're here. I'm glad that I won't have to go through this alone, and that it's you that Tsunade paired me with."

"Me too. Sleep well, Sakura."

* * *

what do you think? a little longer than my usual; i felt like i had to compensate for the long wait. please review! suggestions are welcomed. I'll try to get the next chapter or two out tomorrow. 

- cpham


	6. Deathly Games

It's 4:30 AM right now, so i didn't bother to reread this and check for any errors. if you find any, please let me know.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Deathly Games**

_Everything was dark… she couldn't see anything, but she could hear water dripping. Blip…blip…blip… she listened for what seemed like hours, but could possibly be only minutes; unable to move. The sound was slowly driving her insane. She knew she was wounded, but she couldn't feel it. And then there were voices and shadows… dancing around her; taunting her. She wanted to get up and run away but every part of her body was frozen. Suddenly, she could feel everything… she felt herself being slashed, whipped, and cut at every square of her skin. The pain was unbearable, and she tried to scream, but no sound came out._

_Something broke beneath her… glass, she figured from the sound, and she was falling, falling, falling into some nothingness below her. She could move again and she desperately reached out with her arms to grab something; anything. She could feel something – a surface, a hand, she didn't know – just beyond her finger nails but never close enough. She hit water and she suddenly found herself in a glass box at the bottom of the ocean. She flailed about, inhaling water – drowning quickly. She screamed._

"_Sakura…" a voice called out to her, inviting her back into safety._

"Sakura… Sakura wake up; you're dreaming,"

Sakura opened her eyes, panting heavily; finger nails buried into her palms – no…. his palms. "Kaka-sensei?" She released her vice grip from his hands.

"Hai, I'm here." Kakashi looked worriedly into the green eyes of his former student. Five minutes ago, he was comfortably having drinks with a barmaid down the street, when he suddenly felt weary about leaving Sakura alone in a strange place in the middle of the night. He knew how she got in the dark. Not reluctantly, he hurried back to their room in the inn, and found her shaking in bed, whimpering and clawing into her own palms until they bled. He couldn't keep her hands from clenching that way, so he had to slip his hands into hers, so she wouldn't hurt herself anymore. It was better him, than her he figured. "You're safe; I'm here."

She didn't say anything or thank him… just threw herself into his arms and sobbed.

* * *

The next morning, Kakashi awoke with one eye focusing on the absence of a figure beside him. He sat up frantically, head jerking from side to side as he searched for his companion. Hearing the door click open, his hand immediately went to the kunai under his pillow. When he felt the familiar presence of a certain kunoichi, he relaxed with a sigh. 

"Good morning, Kaka-sensei."

He chuckled. "Why do you still call me that?"

"I guess it's a hard habit to get rid of…I got coffee." Sakura handed him a mug, which he accepted graciously. She noticed they had identical scars in their hands.

Kakashi looked up at Sakura's new hair color, unable to get over how different she looked now. He almost couldn't recognize her now. It would take some getting used to. "There's a really beautiful cherry blossom grove not far from here. I thought we could have lunch there later and maybe spar a little. I haven't seen you in action since… well since before what happened." It was a touchy subject, and even he found it hard to speak about.

"Sure, that sound's good. I've been itching to blow off some steam anyway. There's a small fair in town this morning; let's swing by there first."

"Alright, sound's like a plan to me." The silver haired Jounin slumped back into bed. "Give me another half an hour first."

* * *

"Knock the bottles down with these needles and win some lovely prizes! Everyone's a winner! You! You there, Miss! Why don't you give it a try?" 

Sakura turned her head to look at the man hollering at her from inside his stand. Along the wall were three four-level pyramids made of wooden bottles. "Sure."

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled slightly as he followed his companion to the game. Sakura handed the man a few coins and took four long senbon needles from him. She threw them all at once, each needle hitting the exact weak points of each level of the pyramid, and laughed proudly as all ten bottles toppled down.

The man behind the counter sweat-dropped and laughed half-heartedly. "Say, are you a shinobi?"

"How did you guess?" Sakura chuckled. She pointed up at a large stuffed puppy with very big ears, and the man brought her prize down to her.

As they walked passed more concession stands and hollering men and women inviting them to play this game and that, Sakura's mood began to pick up quickly. Kakashi looked down at her, noticing the slight hop in her step and smiled from beneath his mask. She stopped walking and Kakashi followed her gaze to see what she was staring at. At a table were two large men with arms interlocked, and a small crowd yelling and cheering around them as they arm-wrestled. Both men were around the same size and build; the one on the left was bald and had a mustache, and the second man had long shaggy hair. As the bald one succeeded in slamming the other man's hand into the table, he jumped up in victory, and received his cash-prize from the loser. "Isn't there anyone in this stinking crowd who is strong enough to defeat me?" the giant challenged.

Sakura looked up at Kakashi with a grin, and he sweat-dropped in return; chuckling nervously and rubbing the back of his head. Her eyebrows came up and down suggestively and he laughed. "Alright, alright." He raised his hand. "Ah, Hai, I'll play you, sir."

"Hmm? Who said that? Who dares challenge the great Iron Fist?" the oaf retorted.

"Me." Kakashi stepped forward.

"Well what do you wager?" the man questioned angrily.

"Wager? Well, uh… I don't really have any -- "

"A date with me!" Sakura called.

"Sakura, no… I wont let you do that." Kakashi warned quietly.

"Well then, you better win." She flashed him another grin, and he shook his head in dismay.

"Well, well, are you sure you want to do that, little lady?"

"Don't worry about me, sir." Sakura responded.

"Well you know you'll have to do anything I want on our date."

"I assure you, sir, you won't win this bet."

Kakashi sat down at the opposite side of the table with a sigh and both men joined hands. Another man came to hold their hands up equally. "Ready? Go!"

As he let go of them, both contestants pushed against each other forcefully; neither of them seeming to budge for a long while. Finally, it started to seem like the bigger man was getting the upper hand, and everyone but Sakura cheered around them. She just smirked. Just as it seemed like the other man was going to win, Kakashi swung his hand the other way; smashing his opponent's hand into the table and creating a large thundering crack in the wood. "I win."

Kakashi and Sakura began to walk away from the crowd as a hand reached out to grab the kunoichi's shoulder. "Where do you think you're going? We have a date!"

Sakura stopped abruptly. "Excuse me? You lost."

"We have a date!" The large man repeated.

"Take your hand off me." Sakura warned.

"Or what, you'll have your little lapdog here fend me off?"

_"Or I'll kill you."_

Kakashi's eyebrows arced in surprise to Sakura's response. He'd never heard that tone from her before, and it almost scared him to think she was capable of it. There was no hesitation in her voice – only simple and hard fact – deathly serious in a literal sense. He figured it was safe to say that Sakura did not like to be touched by strange men, and for obvious reasons.

Neither of them turned to look at the man idiotically laughing behind them, but Kakashi reached out to grab his wrist. "Walk away. She really will kill you." A very small part of him sympathized for the imbecile.

Placing his hand on Sakura's back, he slowly led her away from the scene, and was thankful that the man didn't try anything further.


	7. One Hit

Sorry for the wait… It was taking me a long time to write the sparring scene with Kakashi and Sakura, and it turned out to be a lot longer than I expected. Hope you like.

Lash27 'Arc' and 'Arch' mean the same thing. They can be used alternatively.

Mistress DragonFlame Glad I can provide some inspiration.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Chapter Six: One Hit

Sakura lay comfortably under the cherry blossom trees, watching the clouds move in the sky. Turning his head to stare at her briefly, Kakashi thought about the tone she took with the stranger he had bested earlier that day. In their line of duty, hearing that voice was inevitable. He heard it in friends and enemies alike… from Sasuke and Naruto especially during battles, but he never thought he would hear that deathly tone from Sakura. Sakura was innocent… she had never killed anyone in her life that he knew of. He thought about that last bit again. How many men did Sakura have to kill in order to escape? It would have been impossible to escape without killing at least a dozen. And with that thought, he frowned.

"Sakura…"

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei?" She turned to look at his masked face.

"I think you should talk to someone about everything that happened… Someone needs to know."

"I… I don't think that's a good idea." She sighed softly.

"Sakura, you can talk to me. I won't judge you… I won't even say anything, if you just want to talk."

"No. I'm not ready." She turned onto her other side, showing him her back.

"When will you ever be? You can't guarantee that you'll ever get over this, but you shouldn't have to go through it all alone."

She was getting irritated now, though she knew he was right. "Kakashi-sensei -- "

"I'll fight you. And if I win, you'll have to tell me everythingbefore we get to theStone.If you win, I won't ever ask you about it again." He cut her off with his challenge.

Sakura was silent for a long time, and they both just laid there, waiting each other out as the clouds passed them by above.

Finally after ten minutes of silence, she conceded to his challenge. "Fine." And not one second after her response, she vanished in a rain of petals. Kakashi lazily got to his feet with his hands still buried in his pockets.

Sakura observed her former sensei from within a mass of bushes behind him, as he stood there casually; and started to reach for something. She tensed, _'Shit, does he detect where I am already?'_

Much to her dismay and also to her relief; the object he pulled out was an orange book entitled _Icha Icha Tragedy._ A vein popped out on the side of her forehead as she darted out of the bushes in anger. _'How dare he underestimate me! I'm not that same genin he once taught!'_

Kakashi smirked, knowing this was exactly what would provoke Sakura to come out of hiding. He turned the page slowly as he felt her approach from behind. Sakura jumped into a flying kick towards his back, but he easily evaded her by tilting his body to the side and putting his arm up to block her foot. Sakura then began an onslaught of various kicks and punches, only getting angrier as Kakashi nonchalantly blocked and dodged while still reading his novel.

The newly black haired kunoichi crouched low to the ground and delivered a sweeping leg towards Kakashi's feet. The anticipated jump was made as she grinned and uppercut him in the torso while he was vulnerably in the air. His eye widened for a split second before arching himself to perform a back hand spring and setting some distance between them. "So we're not playing anymore, eh Sa-ku-ra-chan?" he sang mockingly and put away his book to ease her fury.

She answered him with seals made with one hand. _'Shit… when did she learn to do that with one hand_? _Horse – Tiger – Dragon – Snake - Rat. Oh shit!'_

"Katon! Housenka no Jutsu!" Fireballs came flying towards the silver-haired Jounin. He quickly made some seals of his own.

"Suiton! Suijinheki!" A barrier of water immediately rose around him.

Sakura's eyebrows rose understandably. Only a very powerful ninja could produce a water jutsu using only the water molecules in the air. Most shinobi needed at least a large puddle. This jutsu did not help Kakashi however, as kunai revealed themselves from within her fireballs and flew right through the water. Not one of the missed their target and she was frightened briefly until she looked closer into the falling water barrier. _'Kawarimi…whew… damn it, but where the hell is he now?'_

Suddenly, he was flying towards her in the air, and she quickly made seals, using both hands this time. _Horse – Tiger – Dragon – Snake - Rat . _"Katon! Housenka no Jutsu!"

Kakashi smirked, "That wont work on me twice!" he laughed, but Sakura was no longer in front of him. "Suiton! Suijinheki!" The water barrier rose around him, protecting him from the fireballs. He landed on the ground swiftly, looking around for his opponent.

"Haritsuba no Jutsu!"

Kakashi's eye widened as he spun around, too late. Needles had already spit out of Sakura's mouth, but they hit another log. She cursed under her breath.

"Suiton! Suiryuudan!"

As Sakura heard this, she immediately started making more seals. "Doton! Doroku Gaeshi!" she called as she drove her arm into the ground and pulled up a large wall of dirt and rock that shielded herself from the powerful water dragon Kakashi had sent her way.

She then sensed something behind her and when she turned around, there were four kunai coming her way, and Kakashi some distance away. She quickly threw two shuriken to deflect two of the kunai, parried another, but got hit in the shoulder with the last one. She seethed, pulled it out and sent it right back to him.

As expected, he caught it with little effort. Sakura panted heavily, already feeling that her chakra would deplete if she kept this up. She wouldn't be able to use many ninjutsu techniques, so she had to rely on some taijutsu that she picked up from Lee. She drew some chakra to her fist and drove it in the ground, causing it to quake and split. Two tidal waves of earth came up from under Kakashi's feet as he fought to maintain his balance.

Sakura quickly put her hands together and yelled out "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Suddenly there were six duplicates of the kunoichi. The first one dove towards the unbalanced Kakashi and delivered two swift kicks towards his head as her body spun in the air. "Konoha Gouriki Senpuu!" Kakashi immediately put his arms up to protect himself, and kneed her in the stomach. With a poof, she disappeared but another Sakura clone came running from the other side. "Konoha Senpuu!" (different and more powerful than Gouriki Senpuu) Kakashi took the foot on his left side, and the same clone grabbed him with one arm, lifted him into the air and tossed him a little; retracted her arm and then drove her palm into his back with ultimate force. "Shougekishou!"

Sakura silently thanked Rock Lee, Naruto, and Sasuke before another clone leaped into the air, placing herself just under Kakashi (Kage Konoha Buyou – Shadow Leaf Dance.) "Shishi Rendan!" Kakashi blocked the first hit in the four-part combo, but the second was delivered… then the third… then finally the last as the clone swung her leg over and drove him towards the ground again, where the real Sakura was waiting. Kakashi quickly regained his composure and made some seals before Sakura drove her fist into him, sending him into a tree. Poof!

'_Damn…another kawarimi… is it just me or is this getting too easy though? Is he testing me? No… he must be trying to wear me out. He knows me…'_

Silence dragged on as Sakura waited in the middle of the cherry blossom grove. Her long braid became partially undone, and the wind blew through locks of her black and pink hair. She fought to breathe evenly again, trying to catch her breath and calm down.

Kakashi watched her from the trees, rubbing his side painfully. _'She's weaker than before… she tires more easily, and she never had much stamina to begin with. The only improvement I can see is that she can now perform one-handed seals… it's understandable though; I don't imagine she had the opportunity to train as a captive. But she has more determination to win, I think… that or she doesn't care now if she really hurts someone… she doesn't value life in the same way as when she first became a Jounin. '_

Deciding that he had successfully worn her out, he appeared behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Sakura spun around on one foot, ready to roundhouse her opponent, but she couldn't find Kakashi's face. He was crouched down now, sweeping her only grounded foot, and as she landed on her back, the wind was knocked out of her lungs. His knee then came to pin her in place, and a kunai was at her throat.

She growled internally… _'All that work, and he takes me out with one hit.'_

Kakashi stared down at her piteously… he wanted to win, yes. He wanted to know everything. But he knew it would be hard for her – it would hurt her to speak. "When you're ready… I'll listen. So take your time."

She nodded silently, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks.

"Come on. Let's get some ice cream." His visable eye curved upwards in what seemed like a grin.

* * *

They stood on a bridge, overlooking the ocean with their ice cream cones in hand. They hadn't said anything to each other since their battle, but it was a comfortable and needed silence. Sakura closed her eyes and felt the ocean breeze against her face. Her lips curved up into a small smile. '_The wind… when I feel the wind… I know I'm free. Free from everything. I'm happy here, by his side. I'm safe, and I'm happy…'_

Kakashi peered over her expression with a gentle eye, happy that she seemed to be at some kind of peace.

"Sensei…"

"Hai?"

"I'm ready to tell you; in fact… there's no one else in the world that I feel I can talk to about this. But I don't want to ruin this moment."

"I understand. It can wait… but I think we should talk before we get to our destination."

She didn't answer; she didn't have to. She gently placed her head on Kakashi's shoulder and at that moment, life seemed to halt. And it was just the two of them, together.

* * *

TBC. Review please! I might actually get the next chapter out tonight. That's not a promise though. 


	8. Interlude: The Talk

This isn't really a chapter… I just didn't want it to be included in the next chapter or the last, so it's by itself. It's just one big KakaSaku dialogue. Sorry if it bores you. I wrote the next chapter today, so don't worry.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

* * *

**Interlude: The Talk**

Sakura and Kakashi leapt from tree to tree the next morning, deciding to get an early start. With any luck, they would get there by the next morning. She was sick of traveling… she just wanted to get there already. And at the same time, she dreaded it.

"Stone and Fire aren't exactly very friendly with each other, so we'll have to keep a low profile when we get closer, in order to get passed the border." Kakashi commented.

"Wakatta… Should we act as father and daughter, siblings, or a married couple? Or should we try to go in separately?"

"We've been living together for so long, I think we can pull off acting like a married couple. But your hair is still a little too radical for a regular village woman."

"I'll deal with that when we get closer… Kaka-sensei?" Sakura stared down.

"Hm?" He glanced to her in response.

"Is it a hassle having me live with you? We hadn't really discussed it, and I haven't really made any plans to move out finally."

"Do you want to move out? I mean, are you ready to?"

"No… truthfully, I don't feel safe when I'm alone," she confessed.

He contemplated silently before speaking…"I think that's natural, but you'll get over it sooner or later."

"So you do want me out?"

"No, no that's not what I meant. I enjoy having you there… I like the company, and… honestly…" he hesitated "well, it puts me at ease to know you're there."

"What do you mean by that?"

He sighed softly, but kept his eyes straight ahead, scanning the area half heartedly. "When you were taken away… we… Naruto, and Sasuke, and I… we all felt like…" He paused and sighed again.

"What?" Sakura urged quietly.

"We felt like we failed you."

"You didn't… you found me; saved me."

"By luck, Sakura. It was sheer luck. Before that… we didn't even know where to start looking for you. We weren't there to help you. We don't blame ourselves… we just felt like we failed in protecting you."

"It's not your job to protect me. I'm a big girl now, Sensei." She started to interject, but Kakashi cut her off.

"Isn't it? Hasn't it always? Ever since you three were all genin. If we could help it, you never had to fight. We would be there to protect you from harm. We knew it wasn't officially our job to do so… you're a shinobi, and you can fight for yourself. But it was sort of an unwritten and unspoken agreement between the three of us. You were too pure to be hurt, and neither of us would allow that to happen.

"And as time went by… those feelings went away… we all sort of went our separate ways. We were still, and always will be comrades and teammates, but none of us had time to really think about the others. But when you were taken from us… that's when everything fell back into place. Only you were gone; and all of us were affected by it. Naruto has always been wanted… the kyuubi… and Sasuke… he's the same. I have so many enemies. But your life… your entire being; it was – is – pure. It never occurred to us that someone could go after you. The first few scenarios we thought up were that someone was using you to get to one of us. But when there was no note, no ransom, and no trace of you for two weeks…that's when it really hit us all. We'd failed you. We hadn't thought of you.

"So when I say, it puts me at ease to know you're there… I mean… I feel good knowing that you are safe and that I can be right there to protect you. The other two feel the same way."

Sakura went silent as she clenched her teeth, forcing herself to concentrate on the tree branches under her feet. Kakashi stared at her face, having a hard time reading her emotions.

"Are you hungry? We should stop for some food and get our strength up."

"When I was younger… I always hated being so protected by you all. I felt like I was being underestimated. Of course, none of you had really been underestimating me back then. I was weak. I hated being weak. I hated being in your shadow. I hated staring at your backs."

"Sakura-"

"No… don't say anything. I was just commenting… it means nothing now. I'm not the same girl. In fact, that's what drove me all my life. The Chunnin and Jounin exams… when I was training under Tsunada-sama… all I could think about was that I couldn't depend on you anymore. When Sasuke was gone; when Naruto came back hurt… I hated myself for making him promise he'd get Sasuke back. So maybe it was good for me, ne? If it weren't for you all, I wouldn't have had a reason to get stronger. As much as I needed you three to protect me, I needed to protect you too."

They jumped back onto the ground where Sakura began unwrapping the lunch she'd packed before they left the inn. Kakashi stood there quietly taking in what she had just said. He hadn't really thought about things like that before. He figured she had asked Tsunade to train her and had gotten so much stronger over the years because she wanted to catch up with the rest of the team.

"I can tell you tonight… what happened, I mean."

"Alright… good. That's good." He couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable now. He was never one to have heart-to-heart conversations with anyone.

She laughed… "When we fought yesterday… I was so stupid. I rushed things; used too much strength and chakra too quickly. I was angry… desperate."

"You just need to learn to stay calm. You're like Tsunade in that way; I guess it can't be helped, really. She taught you. You weren't always like that, though. You're too smart for that. But after everything that's happened… that was your first fight. You had a lot of pent up emotion."

"Is that why you wanted to fight?" She poked at her food with her chopstick.

"Partly. Eat up."

"Maybe after we get back to Konoha, I can ask Tsunade to work with me a little."

"You don't need it."

"Then maybe you can help me."

He laughed then… a little too loudly. "I would tell you to mask your emotions. Build a brick wall. But you're not that kind of person. You're better. It was easy when you guys were younger. I mean, not easy, but it would be easier than trying to train you now. I didn't really have to share that side of me with you, but you're old enough to understand now."

"Then maybe we can help each other."

* * *

yep, like i said, this is just a dialogue that i didnt want included in the next chapter or the one before this. the next chapter is up already, so don't worry. I might have another chapter out tonight. Review! 


	9. The Confession

What you've all been waiting for, folks. And yeah, the actual mission will start in the next chapter, hopefully. I realize this has been going a little slowly, but time will skip a few times, over weeks. This is gonna be short, so sorry. I might combine a few of the earlier chapters that don't need to be independent.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: The Confession**

_She was sleeping, dreaming of her genin days with Team 7. They had a picnic after a long day of training. Naruto and Sasuke were glaring at each other. She was lying on the grass, staring up at the sky with a smile. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. She woke up and there was a hand around her mouth and a kunai at her throat. She bit down on the hand, and someone yelled before moving his arm to hit her._

_Was he joking? She moved quickly and grabbed the intruder's arm. She half noticed all the blood around her… it was hers. She ignored it, and twisted the arm out of its socket. "Who the hell are you!" It was too dark to see. She felt something in her thigh; the prick of a needle. _

_It was too dark._

Sakura woke up; her eyes fluttering open in panic. She caught sight of Kakashi sitting near the fire, on watch, and closed her eyes again.

_She was forced into consciousness and thrown again a wall. She could feel blood dripping from her head… then a hand around her throat. She heard a voice._

"_You think you're so cute, don't you?"_

_She could feel… she could hear… but it was too dark. Too dark. Where was her sight? The voice repeated itself; more aggressively this time._

"_You think you're so fucking cute!"_

"_Yes. I do." She mocked. Cocky for someone in her situation. It was a stupid thing to say, but she didn't care. Whatever they were going to do for her insolence, they were probably going to do anyway. She felt air push against her cheek, and immediately threw up an arm. Impact. She blocked someones fist. That's when she remembered the blood. Her other hand went to her side, where she could feel a long scar. Someone had already healed her – a sloppy job at that. She wrenched the arm that she now held, dislocating it for the second time. "You idiot."_

_Someone hit her… someone new. She bit down the pain and growled. "Don't you know who I am? You're all fools for thinking you can get away with this!"_

"_What makes you think you have any right to have such confidence at this moment? You're a nobody. That's why we picked you." _

"_I am the student of the Hokage. I am also the student of the Copy Ninja, Kakashi. I am the companion of the Kyuubi and the last Uchiha that killed the infamous Uchiha Itachi. Do you think they won't look for me? What do you think they'll do when they find you? Wag a finger at your faces and tell you not to do it again? You'll all die for this!"_

_Silence at first. She struck a bone. They were probably looking at each other nervously, but it didn't last long. "No one will find us. We left no clues. We left nothing for them to work with but your own blood. No one knows who we are. We aren't in the bingo books. So you're out of luck, aren't you?"_

"_What do you want from me?"_

_They laughed. Then they all moved at once… four of them she thought. They held her down. Someone cut her clothes off with a kunai, uncaring when they sliced through her skin as well._

"_Get off of me! Get off! Let me go! LET ME GO!"_

"STOP, LET ME GO!" she screamed in horror. Kakashi was at her side instantly, and she looked at her surroundings in a confused manner.

"Sakura… you're safe. I'm here; you're safe. Don't be scared. Don't cry; Sakura, please don't cry anymore…" Kakashi strained to stop from losing his mind. He couldn't see her like this anymore… it bore on him like the weight of a thousand kunai. She was speaking now… too fast. He tried to listen.

"They took me in the middle of the night. I tried to fight but they stuck me with a needle. I woke up in a cell… I fought more. I laughed at them. I told them you would come for me." Her eyes widened, stricken with realization. "You never came for me."

He winced. It felt like the wind was knocked out of him. "I… I'm sorry." He tried to say, but she kept rambling.

"They… took me; broke me… over and over again. They cut me… god, there was so much blood. I was lying in a pool of my own blood. They were lying on top of me." She grabbed fistfuls of his vest and cried against his chest. "After they had their way with me… they poisoned me. I couldn't move… I couldn't see, move, or feel anything. It was like being dead; just lying there in the dark. I could hear though. I could hear water dripping. My chakra was gone. The poison sucked it out of me.

"Then they would come for me, sometimes during the day, and every night. And they gave me a new poison. I could feel my senses coming back… my chakra. I found I could move again. But then, the new poison would take effect and I couldn't move anymore. That's how I escaped, three months later. First I tried to use medical jutsu and make their veins implode, it's fast, and you don't need to make seals…but for some reason, I couldn't use medical jutsu. During the thirty seconds I could move again, every time, I practiced doing one handed seals, because the poison took my left side first, and I had more time to use my right hand. I had to train myself to do it fast, and do it right. I used Gaukakyuu no Jutsu instead.

"Sometimes they would give me a different poison. It took away my will. They would make me do things." She shut her eyes, struggling to keep going. "They… they made me do things. I'm so ashamed…"

Kakashi fought to control his anger. He wanted to kill them all over again. "You don't have to keep going. You can tell me later, if this is too much." Actually it was too much for him, but she urged on.

"It wasn't just… sexual things… Sometimes they brought women in and made me kill them. I just did it. I cried. But I did it. The poison; it made me… I couldn't control myself. K-Kakashi!"

She sobbed against him and he picked up her chin. He drew his headband up to reveal his Sharingan, and Sakura was soon unconscious. He let her sleep against him and ran his fingers through her hair, soothing. He faintly realized he was shaking. He couldn't stop. This was too much. _'You didn't come for me…' _

"I'm so sorry, Sakura…"


	10. Something Between Them

As promised, chapter eight is out tonight, but it's a little boring, I think. Sorry, I've been a little distracted lately, so I'm a bit off my game. Please Read and Review!

Oh, and thank you for the really great reviews - especially to ruka-kun. I'm glad you liked the last chapter.

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Something Between Them**

Sakura and Kakashi made their way to Stone's border, walking now rather than leaping through the trees. Her hair was covered with a raggedy red bandana, and she wore a long brown skirt and a white blouse. She had barely sad anything all morning, and had skipped breakfast; contemplating the words that spilled out of her mouth the night before. Kakashi didn't urge her to talk anymore, knowing that she might need some space. He had also changed his attire, now wearing a simple grey tunic with matching pants. Due to the strangeness of his scared face and his Sharingan, he had to use a transformation jutsu to make himself look normal. He still looked like Kakashi… just without his mask or Sharingan eye.

Neither of them were really used to wearing such light clothes – they weren't very practical for a shinobi, but were perfect for a couple of civilians. They kept very few weapons with them, knowing that the border patrol would look through their belongings. Sakura kept a few senbon needles in her hair bun, a kunai under her shirt, and a few shuriken in her sleeves, fastened there by thread. Kakashi had even less weapons than she did, only carrying the shuriken in the same way. He kept a small pack of senbon needles that he would claim were used for acupuncture.

They could see the gates up ahead, and Sakura finally turned to her companion. "I don't blame you… if that's what you were thinking."

"I know you don't." He sighed.

"It just came out that way… it was disappointing to think that they had won. I was defiant for a long time; believing someone would come for me."

"We tried…"

"I know you did. I know you did everything you could. That's what a team is… we don't leave our comrades to die. You taught us that."

* * *

As they approached the border, they were stopped by a few Stone Chunnin. "What business do you have in Stone Country?"

"Aah, well my wife and I are doctors and there is a man in the Stone Country that needs to be treated." Kakashi answered.

"Hai, he is very sick." Sakura chimed in.

"Doctors, huh? Well, maybe you can help me; I've been having some pain in my back, I think I might have injured myself on a mission."

Sakura stepped forward, chuckling slightly "You ninja are going to keep my husband and I in business for a long time! Let's see here…" The guard turned so she could inspect his back and she found some fractured bone there – a very small crack. She forced some of her healing chakra into the injury and then gave him a small container of salve. The guards thanked her and let the both of them through the large gates without checking their belongings.

"Seems like our doctor story was definitely the right way to go." Kakashi commented.

"Yeah, what a relief."

"So where is their headquarters set up?"

"It's not far from here… there's a small village up ahead where Tsunade has other another ninja stationed for their own mission, and tonight we can check out their HQ."

"Do you know any of their names?"

"Yes… there was one man they called Jiro. I don't know about the rest. They said that no one knew them."

"When are we meeting with Sasuke?"

"In four nights, at a pub in the next village."

* * *

They arrived at a small cottage not far from the village centre. Stepping onto the porch, Kakashi rang the bell. After a moment, they could hear someone stumbling inside. They looked at each other apprehensively, and their fingers retracted into their sleeves. Someone finally came to the door, clothes somewhat in disarray. He coughed nervously and opened the screen door. "Hatake!"

"Yo." He looked surprise. He almost forgot that Genma was on a mission in the Stone Country. For the past month, he hadn't really interacted much with or thought about anyone but Sakura.

"Hi Genma-San."

"Hey, kiddo! Whoa, your hair…Come in! Sorry about the mess, and oh yeah, I have company."

Kakashi shook his head amusedly. "Same as ever, ne Shiranui?" 

After getting settled into their rooms, Sakura decided to take a shower… having traveled all this way. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror for a long while, paying much attention to her hair and her eyes. Her hair was obviously different, but it was her eyes that caught her. She sighed. _'I'm not even the same person now, am I?'_

Genma sat across from Kakashi, kicking his legs up on the table. He'd already shown his prior company out the door. "How's she doing?"

Kakashi looked at him blankly.

"The kid…"

"She's hardly a kid anymore, but… I think she's going to be fine."

"Well, I know she's _going_ to be fine. I asked how she's doing _now_." Genma argued around the senbon needle hanging from his mouth.

"Honestly? I don't know… she's up, she's down… she's all over the place. I can't keep up sometimes. I just want it all to stop… she didn't deserve this." Kakashi realized he might have said a little more than he would normally.

Genma nodded solemnly. "She always seemed like a good… bright kid. Innocent. Did we figure out who took her?"

"The people we were sent to spy on."

Genma's eyebrows rose slightly. "She's okay with being sent on this mission?"

"No… but she understands her duty. She's scared." Kakashi found himself mimicking his old comrade, propping his feet up on the table and leaning backwards so the chair he sat on tilted onto two legs. He closed his eyes tiredly – not that he was physically tired, but more so emotionally.

"How do you plan on proceeding? Are you just going to sneak around their facilities or really infiltrate them… get in with their group?"

Surprisingly, Kakashi hadn't thought of that yet. How many recon missions had he been sent on – how many times did he do exactly what Genma suggested, and for some reason he hadn't thought of it now? "I… well I guess we'd have to infiltrate them… go undercover. Well I would have to. Sakura isn't going to like this. Maybe we'll start out just sneaking around at night… make sure we aren't caught. Then if we can't get a hold of enough information, we'll look at that option. Who knows, Tsunade might send someone in to help us out. This is really just a preliminary mission."

"Nonsense... I can help you, right?" Genma offered.

"No… we have no idea who these guys really are; it could jeopardize whatever mission you're on now. What is your mission, anyway?"

"Classified."

"Oh right, like my mission wasn't?" he scowled.

Genma chuckled, "Sorry, bud. I'll probably be finished with it by the end of next week, actually." There was a moment of silence before Genma started again. "Say, I've been meaning to ask you… what's going on between you and Sakura?"

Kakashi coughed loudly, taken off guard by the question. "W-What!"

"You two are… close… right? She lives in your apartment, sleeps in your room… it's hard not to wonder."

"Nothings going on… not in the way you're thinking about, anyway. She's in pain… she can't be left alone just yet. I'm just helping her… she means a lot to me."

"What kind of freaking ninja can't be left alone in their own room?" Genma was skeptical.

"She went through a lot of horrible things when she was taken from Konoha. She's still very traumatized over it all; you can't blame her for being a nervous wreck."

"She's insane, so you sleep with her?"

"Sleep with her! We sleep _in the same bed._ We don't _sleep together_. Not that way. And she's not insane; she's hurt." A vein popped out on Kakashi's head.

"Right, that's what I meant. Jesus, Hatake." The Jounin shook his head with another chuckle; needle wagging between his teeth.

"Look it's just a casual thing. I wasn't there to help her before… so I have to be now." 

"Alright man. What ever you say." Genma observed his friend quietly, totally not believing him. '_There's definitely more between those two than teacher-student protectiveness.'_

* * *

Sakura sat on her bed, brushing her wet black hair, and still dressed in her bathrobe. She was put in a different room than Kakashi, and it made her feel uneasy, but she wasn't about to argue. "_What would Genma think if you asked to sleep in Kakashi's bed? He's in the next room, woman what is your problem?" _it was inner-Sakura thinking now. Sakura sighed and lied back silently, rubbing her temples.

There was a knock on her door, but she didn't bother moving. "Come in."

Kakashi poked his head through the doorway. "Sakura? We're going to go eat… coming?"

"Um… no, thanks. I'm kind of tired, so I think I'm just going to stay here and take a nap."

He stared at her on the bed, wearing only her thin robe which had separated slightly. He could see her collar bones, just above her chest, and her flat stomach. His eyes trailed down and he could see an exposed thigh. He shook his head from the sight. '_She's younger than you – by a lot.'_

"Alright. We'll lock the doors. We should inspect the perimeter of the HQ tonight, and then tomorrow night, after you give me some details about the inside, we'll formulate a plan to get in safely. Have a nice nap."

"Hai…" Her eyes were already closing again.


	11. Cold

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Warning:** This chapter gets violent in the end, but I spared you guys the gruesome details of everything that is implied to happen.

**Chapter Nine: Cold**

_Something was very wrong. Kakashi didn't know if it was the eerie silence in the cottage or just some gut feeling that made him get out of bed and check all the rooms. He checked Genma's room first, since it was right across from his and he appeared to be fine – sleeping off the drunken night they'd spent at the bar. It occurred to him that he hadn't seen or heard from Sakura when they got back; was too drunk and probably assumed she was sleeping. They were supposed to start the mission tonight, but he'd come back for a few minutes and told her they'd start the next day. Something pulled at his heart and his breath caught in his throat as he made his way to her room. He reached for the knob and opened the doorknob with a loud creak. At first sight, he threw himself back against the hallway wall, eyes widened in terror._

"_SAKURA!"_

Kakashi bolted up in bed as he woke in a sweat. He threw his covers off and struggled to calm down. '_Dream,' _he convinced himself. But it didn't stop him from getting up and immediately turning towards Sakura's room. He opened the door slowly and poked his head through to find her tossing and turning in her bed. Her hands were bleeding, but he had learned to expect as much. As he approached her sleeping form he could hear her soft whimpers and cries.

"No… no, please not again… leave me alone… help me… Kakashi help, don't let them take me again… please, please…"

The trip back to the place she'd been kept in for three long months had taken its toll on her. She was nervous and apprehensive the entire time they'd been scoping the perimeter earlier that night. Kakashi didn't know whether to feel flattered that it was his name she called out at night or feel miserable for not being able to help her in the past. He sat down at the edge of her bed and took her hands in his as he always did when she was clawing at her own palms. He looked down at her face with furrowed brows and recalled his conversation with Genma earlier that day. Taking a deep breath, he dropped her hands gently and stepped away from her. _'No. You can't do this anymore. She's your student. She's younger than you. If you keep yourself this close to her all the time, you'll start having feelings for her. That cannot happen. She has to get through this alone from now on. You can't help anymore,' _he told himself regretfully. It took all the fight in him to keep from staying at her side, but he slowly made his way out of the room, shutting the door softly.

* * *

"Sakura, what happened to your hands?" Genma looked over to Sakura questioningly. They'd all woken up early to start their missions. The light hadn't even shown up outside.

"Huh? Oh… it's nothing." Sakura smoothed the bandages around her hands. Kakashi stared at her from across the table.

'_Damn it. You made the right decision. Just stick with it.' _He cleared his throat. "We should probably go see if anyone in the village knows about these men. We'll go hit some bars and mingle… find out as much as we can before we scope out the HQ perimeter."

"Okay. Give me half an hour to get ready…" Sakura nodded. "What are you doing today, Genma?"

"Ah, I've got some things to do in the next village. I won't be back for two days. If anyone calls or comes looking for me, tell them you don't know anything."

"Ne, we're not going to run into any of _your_ trouble, are we? I mean we have enough to deal with from our own mission." Kakashi scratched his head with some frustration.

"No, I don't think so, but unless its one of my women, you pretty much have my permission to deal with them however you want."

"You think you could tell us what your mission is all about, so we know what we might be getting ourselves into? And don't give me any of that classified bullshit."

"Just a retrieval mission. Little bugger is pretty hard to find, actually."

Sakura raised a brow. "Isn't that usually left to ANBU and hunter-nin?"

"Yeah, well Tsunade thought I'd be better suited for this one. I know the target."

"Who is he?" Kakashi inquired.

"Watanabe… wanted for raping and killing his wife."

A disgusted look came over Kakashi's face. Sakura was quiet.

* * *

Walking away from the cottage, Kakashi cleared his throat. Sakura looked up at him questioningly and saw his guilty expression.

"When we go back home… I think you should move back into your place… or we can find a new apartment for you."

"But… I thought you said --"

"I know what I said… but I think it would be best for you to be on your own now. You've had too much help from me… you need to learn how to be independent again." He fought hard to keep a stone face.

"If... you want…I guess." She searched his visible eye for something and felt something break inside when she didn't find it.

"I do," was his harsh reply.

'_Why so cold?'_ Sakura sighed and walked a little faster, leaving Kakashi following behind.

He stared at her back for some time, wondering if he'd really done the right thing. _'I'm sorry.'_

* * *

"Why don't you buy me a drink?" Sakura was leaning over the bar and batting her eyelashes at a man sitting there alone. He looked over her briefly, eyes traveling over her curves.

"What will you give me in return?" he boldly inquired.

Sakura hated these games. She hated being a female in the world of shinobi. She hated the "benefits" it came with… using your own body in such a way. It sickened her. She did it anyway. Her fingers went up to the zipper of her vest, pulling it up and down, up and down teasingly. "Play your cards right, and I might just share with you some of my...deepest… darkest secrets." He inner-eyes rolled… she never was good at this part.

Kakashi watched her from the dark corner of the small club. His body was tense, ready to pounce at any second. He recalled the first mission where Sakura had to use her more feminine techniques. All three male members of the team were apprehensive about it; being very protective of their teammate. But it seemed to be the only way to get any information around places like these. Naruto had been red with anger. Sasuke's eyes were a bit sharper than usual, and Kakashi only _looked_ apathetic. He _looked_ much the same now.

"You're not from around here are you, girl? What brings you here, anyway?" The man inched closer to the kunoichi.

"Well I met a man around these parts not too long ago. I left something very precious with him, and I need it back now." '_Way to go Sakura. That was quite possible the lamest story you could ever come up with.' _"Maybe you know him!" She felt his hand on her waist and struggled not to react.

"Sure, what's his name?"

"Um… Jiro, I think."

"Jiro… yeah I know him. Let's dance."

Sakura furrowed a brow and inwardly sighed. "Okay…" They both walked away from the bar and onto the dance floor. "What's your name, again?"

"Goro. Yours?" He placed both hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him.

"Kasumi." Looking over Goro's shoulder, she couldn't seem to locate Kakashi. She bit her lip slightly, and then looked back at the man in front of her. She sighed again and started to sway her hips from side to side. "So what about this Jiro?"

"Jiro? I don't think you should be trying to find him. A girl like you… well he's into some heavy shit, if you know what I'm saying." He began moving more aggressively against Sakura's body, his hands sliding up her arms and holding them above her head.

"What do you mean? He seemed nice enough when I met him." She gritted her teeth. Jiro was not nice. He was a monster. His grinning face haunted her at night.

"Well you know, there have been some rumors. Let's not talk about Jiro anymore. You're with me now." He leaned his head forward, and Sakura tried to back away until she felt another set of hands around her waist. Goro's eyes snapped open to find a silver haired masked man standing behind 'Kasumi' with a scar running down one eye. He was dancing with her now… the three of them danced together. Sakura was trapped between the two of them, but comforted that Kakashi was there.

The night went on, and Sakura kept trying; asking more and more about Jiro, but Goro wouldn't budge on the subject. He had stopped glaring at Kakashi suspiciously and Kakashi seemed fixated on her. She knew better. He was really watching the other man.

Kakashi moved his body behind Sakura, the rhythm coming to him easily. Somewhere in the background he could hear the words to the song playing; drowned out by the heavy bass sounds. Suddenly more people were around them, closing in on their space and crushing the three bodies together. Goro cleared his throat and informed them that he'd be back shortly, and made his way out of the crowd. Sakura and Kakashi kept on dancing – somehow getting lost in the music for a long while. He felt Sakura's body tense against him after about fifteen minutes… felt her arm move down. He followed her movement right down to the sight of Goro's hand pushing up against her skirt. His own arm moved to grab Goro's throat, but suddenly he felt an intense pain in his skull, and darkness filled his eyes.

It was the last thing he remembered before waking up in an unfamiliar room. He tried to get up, but found he was chained to the wall. He blinked a few times, the pain rushing to his head again. He groaned slightly before taking a better look around. It was dark, but for a silver table with a bright overhanging light. It seemed to only brighten that one part of the room, as if it was a spotlight, and the table was a stage.

"Ah you're awake. Good; I was getting anxious," called a voice.

"Who…Where…" His throat was dry. How long had it been?

"Ah, don't worry about that just yet. One of my men accidentally gave you a little too much drugs, and you were out a lot longer than expected. You've been asleep for four days. It's alright, I suppose. We've all been occupying ourselves with your girlfriend."

"Girl…what?" he rasped. _'Sakura? Please, god no.'_ "K-Kasumi…"

"Kasumi? No, no her name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura. Don't you remember? Let me refresh your memory." A knock was heard and then the opening of a door.

There was some sort of struggle in the darkness and then a muffled cry. A body was thrown onto the table, naked and shivering. A syringe was pierced into the pale flesh, and the whimpering ceased. Sakura could only stare sideways at Kakashi. Kakashi could only stare back. Then something blocked his view of her scarred expression. Another body… the speaker's. Jiro, he could only assume. He slapped her.

Kakashi screamed. "STOP IT!"

He was punched in the head. He looked up to see who had done it. Goro.

"Copy ninja, Kakashi. She told us that first night she was here… six months ago, I believe. You're her precious sensei. The one that didn't come for her before. Now you've led her straight back to hell." Jiro laughed maniacally. "Tragic, really. Anyway, we used a much stronger drug on her this time. It works much faster, and she wont have the chance to save herself like she did before." His hand wrapped around Sakura's throat… the other hand moved to unzip his pants. Kakashi threw himself forward, pulling against the chains with all his might. "We'll show you what you've missed since you were knocked out."

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER. YOU FUCKING BASTARD, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Sakura couldn't move her head anymore… she could only see Kakashi now. He would go insane; she knew. She could use her voice, but she didn't. She'd learned not to scream long ago… it only gave them pleasure. Oddly, only one thought entered her mind. _'This mission was a total bust.'_


	12. Catatonic

Sorry for leaving you all hanging with the last chapter. Haha. No I'm not.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Catatonic**

Kakashi's eyes closed… he had to block it all out… the sight… the sounds. He concentrated on something else – his chakra. _'Yes…do something for fuck's sake.'_ He concentrated all his chakra to his right hand until it became a visible mass of power. It was wild, and uncontrolled… streams of it spitting out from all sides. It quickly fizzed out though. He couldn't use Chidori. He couldn't move. He couldn't stop this.

It was the fourth time he'd tried to use it. _'I can't risk trying again. I'll knock myself out, and I have to stay awake.' _As much as he would have liked to lose consciousness so he wouldn't have to witness what was happening in front of him – he couldn't do that to her. He couldn't allow himself to drift at a time like this. He heard the distinct sound of skin on skin impact and his eyes snapped up to see Goro slapping Sakura repeatedly. Kakashi involuntarily threw himself forward, pulling with all his strength against the chains that bound him to the wall. Though he knew he wouldn't be able to free himself, he kept pulling with all his force. He felt his arm pop out of its socket, but he kept struggling. Someone beside him smacked him to the ground, and he growled. He heard Sakura scream.

"Stop it! Don't hurt him; please!"

Jiro put a hand on Goro's shoulder, who reluctantly climbed off of her. "Alright, girl… we'll give you a choice. Either you stay here, and we can let him go… or you can go, but he has to stay here."

The answer came almost immediately. "Let him go…"

"No! Sakura, just go!" Kakashi yelled back. "I won't let you do this!"

Jiro laughed loudly, "I was just kidding." He trailed the tip of his kunai up her right arm, watching the skin split and the blood gush out… then he drove it deep into the palm of her hand, through the bandages she'd already had, and into the table on the other side. She bit back the pain, trying her hardest not to scream but let out a whimper anyway. Kakashi jumped forward again; pain searing in his dislocated arm. Goro chuckled softly before climbing on top of her again.

It was four hours before the group had left the two of them alone in the cell. Sakura was left barely conscious, but drugged so that she would not fall asleep. Kakashi was unblinking and silent. Before Goro left the cell, he stuck a syringe into Kakashi's neck and told him if he tried to mold chakra, he would activate the poison and would quickly die. Kakashi wondered if Goro really thought he cared at this point.

Sakura found her voice again. "It's not your fault…"

Kakashi didn't respond. He couldn't even look at her scarred body now. He couldn't look into her torn eyes. She stared at him for a long time; tears running down her face.

'_He's disgusted with me…'_

They were held there for another three days and nights. Almost all of Sakura's ribs had been broken… her pelvis was cracked somewhere. She had a dislocated hip, and multiple stab wounds on her limbs. Kakashi barely had a scratch on him, but for a couple of bumps and his dislocated arm. That was intentional. They'd kept him pretty much unharmed but still unable to help – saturating his body with paralyzing drugs at times, but other times just leaving him exhausted and chained to the wall.

On the fourth night, Jiro came with only Goro to accompany him. He carried the usual two syringes with him. The first one pulled Sakura out of her catatonic and blind state, and the second one made her unable to move but heightened all of her senses. She could see his grinning face – she could smell his stench and the stench of her own blood and other bodily fluids. She could feel what he was doing to her. All of this, ten times more than any normal human being. It was tormenting. Kakashi wasn't drugged this time… he could mold chakra but couldn't make seals or do anything but sit there. He never took his eyes away from the scene, but his mind often drifted to some dark place within himself. Goro sat beside the Copy Ninja, and whispered things into his ear.

"You're pathetic. You're sitting right here and you haven't done anything to help her. You're no better than any of us. One day, we'll drug you to do whatever we tell you to. You'll get up there and use her just as we have been for the past four days, and the three months before. You'll enjoy it. You'll enjoy the sounds she makes… you'll enjoy the despair in her eyes. You'll enjoy it because we tell you to. You're really sick; you know that?" The brute taunted him.

After an hour and a half of this, Kakashi suddenly looked sideways to Goro, cutting him off from any taunting statements he was making. "If you don't get the hell out of my face, I will kill you. And I suggest you tell your brother to take his filthy fucking hands off of her."

Goro laughed for a straight ten minutes, until he was suddenly interrupted by the door flying off its hinges and landing some fifteen feet into the room. At the doorway stood the shadow of some being… blazing swirls started appearing all over his body and his eyes became red with fury. Those eyes stared straight ahead to the display on the illuminated table. "Get… the hell… away from Sakura."

* * *

---------------- flashback -------------------

_Sasuke sat in a booth at the small inn he had been told to wait at. He'd been there for at least half an hour now, and was getting very impatient. Well…he was never a very patient man. He had expected Kakashi to be late, as he was always late for everything, but he wasn't sure about Sakura. Sakura had always been very punctual in the past. However, he hadn't had much interaction with her after she came back to Konoha. Either way, he was getting worried now, and being worried always made him irritable. He left the inn and started walking._

_As he stepped onto the porch of the cottage he was told they would be staying at. He knocked but there was no answer, so he let himself in. He looked around warily… things seemed to be in place. Nothing was in disorder… so there had been no struggle. He didn't sense any danger. With a confused sigh, he turned into the hallway and glanced into the separate rooms quickly. He stepped into what seemed like Sakura's room… her stuff was lying around neatly. Another sigh, and he plopped down onto her bed…and suddenly there was someone on top of him._

"_Who the hell – Shiranui!"_

"_Uchiha? What are you doing here? Where's Hatake and Sakura?" Genma got off of Sasuke and looked around._

"_I don't know. The house was empty when I got here. They were supposed to meet me an hour ago, but they never showed up. Do you know where they might be?"_

"_Uh, I believe they went into the village to try to gather some information before doing some recon inside the enemy headquarters…do you think they're in trouble?"_

"_Sakura wouldn't be late to a meeting…"_

"_Well, unless they're…busy. With each other." He chuckled at the thought. It wasn't totally unbelievable, afterall._

"_She's never late for anything. Let's go."_

---------- end flashback ----------

* * *

Genma stood back against the hallway wall, observing the scene quietly with his senbon needle between his teeth and a bloodied katana in his hand.

"Who the hell let them in!" yelled Jiro. He was still on top of Sakura, still driving his hips into hers with brute force. "Goro! Deal with them!"

Sasuke wasted no time. He appeared beside Jiro and, driven with fury, picked him up, and threw him into the other man. Genma followed lazily into the room. He didn't want to be here. This was too much, and he was perfectly fine being the apathetic and always comfortable Jounin he always was, but after seeing Sakura's condition… seeing the cruel man on top of her… He glanced to where Kakashi was sitting. He wasn't doing so well either. This was a dirty business. Genma bent down to the two men who'd just been tossed to the floor. "Oi, oi… either of you have the key?" He nodded towards Kakashi. One of them spat on Genma's face. His katana came arching down, the tip stopping just above Goro's adam's-apple. Then the two bodies started to melt away and Genma sighed loudly. _'Kawarimi.'_

"Look, I don't want to fight you two. Let us get our friends, and you can both live."

"Don't make promises like that," sneared Sasuke.

"Shut up, Uchiha. This isn't about them and it's not about your damned anger issues. We're here for our comrades – that's it."

"Don't you fucking tell me what to do!"

"UCHIHA." Genma's voice thundered. He calmed down slightly before continuing. "I outrank you in years, and you will do as I say, or I'll kill you myself." … _'damned brat.' … _"Now can you get that shit under control!" he moved his head up and down, gesturing to the cursed seal that had been released.

Sasuke stood there in silence, teeth grinding visibly. Finally he turned and looked over Sakura's condition. He felt the air shift behind him and immediately threw his elbow back, slamming it into Goro's face. Jiro yelled to him from some place in the shadows. "Let them go! They don't matter..." He tossed a key on the floor, and the two of them disappeared.

"Sakura… can you hear me? Are you okay? Sakura…" The seal was slowly retreating now – partly because Sasuke knew it frightened her. He forced it back with his will. He brushed some hair from her face and looked over her broken and battered body again.

"S-s-s…" A pained expression washed over her face.

"Good enough. Where are your clothes; do you know?"

"N-nother room… next door," she rasped.

Sasuke left the room briefly before coming back with the black clothing she usually wore – they were ripped in places and barely covered her anymore, but it would have to do for now. He gently pulled the clothes around her body. Genma was helping Kakashi to his feet… it wasn't that Kakashi couldn't move by himself, but it seemed like he was still in shock.

Carefully placing his arms around her, Sasuke picked Sakura up and made his way to the door. Genma supported Kakashi with one arm as the both of them clumsily followed. He finally spoke. "How did you guys know?"

Sakura glanced backwards at him and then stared down at Sakura's now sleeping face. "Sakura has never been late."

* * *

-

-

-

-

Sakura woke to the chirping of the birds outside her window. She looked around at her surroundings and recognized her room inside Genma's rented cottage. A hand took hers and she looked at Kakashi as if she'd just noticed him there. He looked tired… worn out… fed up. He looked like he was sick of living. _'Sick of being by my side.'_

"What are we still doing here?"

"We're waiting for ANBU to come pick us up. They'll be escorting the three of us back to Konoha," he answered.

"Three? What about Genma?"

"He still has a mission to complete."

She nodded with understanding before she drifted back into unconciousness.

* * *

-

sorry for the crappy rescue scene. i sort of lost all energy to really put a lot of effort into it.. i might rewrite this chapter when i'm feeling better.


	13. Guilty

Hey I replied to some of your reviews on the bottom. Hope you like this chapter. If you notice any typos, let me know.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Guilty**

Shizune walked into the Hokage's office, expecting to find her asleep and drooling all over her paperwork. What she hadn't expected was Tsunade buried in her work, flipping through the manila folders with ferocity. It was odd, to say the least, but she wasn't about to complain. She'd just wished she'd eat.

"Tsunade-sama… you haven't eaten all day."

"How would you know that?" Tsunade spat back angrily as she took down some notes; not bothering to look up.

"Because you haven't left this room since you came back from the hospital." Shizune shook her head slowly. "How is Sakura, anyway?"

"N-not good." The fifth put her pencil down and looked up at her attendant. "It's my fault, Shizune." She rubbed her left temple tiredly with her eyes closed. She had spent the past three days sulking in guilt. She'd been the one to order the mission. She's sent Sakura back to the Stone country. She hadn't thought that these people would be good enough to catch her a second time, especially with Kakashi there. But she was wrong, and both shinobi had payed for her mistake. "What the hell was I thinking? Of course these people would recognize Sakura – she'd spent a long three months with them prior."

"From the report, it seems like there are a lot more people in on their operation then we'd originally thought. They could have been everywhere… Kakashi thought that more than six people in the club that night were involved in the attack, the way they'd been strategically surrounded. You didn't know. What boggles me is how Sakura didn't recognize any of them at first. Can we assume that they weren't the same people she'd seen before? Does that mean that their organization has grown since then?" There were so many questions, it had everyone confused. Once Shizune had started, it seemed she couldn't stop asking and wondering out-loud.

Tsunade blanched. She didn't want to deal with this now. She didn't want to deal with it ever. She wanted to forget – wanted Sakura to forget – wanted Kakashi to… she wanted it all to stop. She wanted it to stop scarring Sakura's life. She'd offered to have Sasuke strike it from Sakura's memory using his Sharingan, but she'd immediately declined. They knew she would.

"We can only assume the worst for now. This rogue organization of shinobi is rapidly growing. When Sakura came back the first time, she said she'd been captured by men that appeared to be Stone ninja. This means either:

They are missing-nin of the Stone country.

They have killed Stone-nin in order to steal their gear and disguise themselves as such, or

They are Stone-nin, either traitors to their country… or not. It's no secret that the Stone pretty much have it out for the Fire country."

She stood and started to pace around the room in thought. This entire ordeal was wearing on her soul. "And they never got a chance to find out their motives… if there was indeed an operation against our country in the works. The whole reason this suspicion rose was because Genma noticed some odd activity around the Stone country while on his mission. If it was so bluntly obvious to him, then I do think that a good majority of their Rock ninja are in on this, whether the Tsuchikage knows about it or not."

"How should we prepare for whatever they might have planned, then?" Shizune was getting less and less optimistic with every word that Tsunade spoke.

"We'll prepare for war. As I said, we can only assume the worst at this point. We'll need to call on our allies as well. Start with the Sand for now. Send both the Hyuuga."

"Naruto wont like that."

"Sakura needs Naruto here." She'd said it without thinking. But it was true… she couldn't send her former student's best friend away at a time like this. Was she showing favoritism? Hell yes.

"Hai." Shizune bowed slightly before leaving the room.

* * *

"Sakura-chan! How about we get you out of this hospital bed and go have some ramen?" 

Naruto sat at the end of the bed, trying to coax Sakura into doing something other than lay there. Tsunade had asked him to try to get her to eat, but so far nothing was working, and he'd even gotten the OK to take Sakura from the hospital, as long as she was back right after. But she didn't respond to anything Naruto did or said. She just lied therein silence. It was unnerving.

"Come on, Sakura… you have to eat." Naruto never gave up on his friends.

"Dobe… just leave her alone" called Sasuke from the doorway.

"I don't want to be here anymore."

Both Sasuke and Naruto looked up at Sakura in disbelief. She'd been back for four days, and this was the first time she'd voluntarily spoken to anyone.

"Well… where do you want to go? We can take you, and you can come back tonight."

"No. I don't want to be here at all. I want to go home." Home… where the hell was that? She knew she couldn't stay with Kakashi anymore, and not just because he'd told her it would be best if she stopped staying there earlier that day – the day she went back to hell. But now she had more than enough reason to assume that he didn't want her there, and that she also did not want to be around him as well.

"I'll talk to the old lady for you, Sakura. Where are you staying when you get out of here?" Naruto seemed to be thinking the same thing she was.

"My house." Where else?

"You're sure?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah… Where else am I supposed to stay? I can't stay with him anymore; he hates me."

"Sakura, why would he hate you?"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it. I just know he doesn't want to be around me."

"All right. I'll talk to Tsunade." Naruto assured her before leaving the room. Sakura lied back and ran her fingers through her hair. The rain was starting to pour outside, yet as she watched it fall outside her window, she still desperately wanted to be out there.

"He doesn't hate you, Sakura…"

Sakura had actually forgotten that Sasuke was still standing there at the door. "Sas--"

"He hates himself."

* * *

Kakashi fell to his knees in the middle of the training field team 7 usually occupied most days. He panted heavily, doubled over and leaning on one arm for support. He looked up at the wooden mannequin he chose to take his anger out on. An array of sharp weapons had been embedded into almost every square inch. His knuckles bled, the blood mingling with the rain water that beat against his skin and running into the grass. Forcing himself back onto his feet, despite his exhaustion, he charged at an unsuspecting tree and drove his fist into it. He didn't stop there… kicking and punching the trunk repeatedly until finally he collapsed against it, yelling out to the world. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes but he held them back as he ripped his fist out of the hole he'd made. Again, he rammed his other fist into the tree with full force. "FUCK!" 

He stood there, leaning against the tree with his arm buried in another hole, breath becoming ragged. He looked up at the grey sky, feeling the rain drop against his face. Lightning flashed above, and thunder sounded before he decided it would be a good idea to get away from the trees and leave the training area.

An hour later, he was sitting in the pub with a fresh set of clothes on, listening but not really listening to some barmaid he didn't know the name of babble about something or other. Asuma and Kurenai sat across from them quietly observing their friend. They knew better than to talk to Kakashi in the state he was in at the time. The barmaid however… well they were just waiting for Kakashi to cut her off and hurt the girl's feelings, or even push her off of his lap. Surprisingly, he looked up to her and asked, "You want to go somewhere?"

The woman nodded enthusiastically and they both got up from the table. The two spectators gave each other troubled looks and then waved at the other pair with nervous smiles.

"Kakashi-kun, you've been so quiet tonight."

Kakashi looked at the girl walking beside him. "Yeah, sorry." As he held the umbrella for both of them he tried to recall her name, but to no avail. "We're going back to my place. Okay?"

"Oh, I wondered when you would ask again. I've missed you all these months." The pretty girl batted her lashes at the taller man and looped her arm in his. Kakashi sighed a little, but she never heard over the sound of the rain.

'_Missed me? Could this be Yume? She looks different. Maybe she did something with her hair.'_ "So, uh… what have you been up to all this time?" he tried.

"Well, you know… I've just been working at the pub every night. Sometimes I get letters and gifts from my brother in the mail. Genma can be a sweet brother when he wants to be. Have you heard from him?"

"Yeah I saw him during my last mission." It was all he would offer at this point. He didn't want to think about the mission._ 'I was right… Yume, Genma's sister.'_

The next morning, Kakashi woke up to a loud knocking on his door. Not wanting to get up just yet, he tried to remember the events of the night before. When he opened his eyes to see a blonde girl sleeping next to him, his thoughts were confirmed. He heard the jingling of keys and the front door being unlocked. _'Oh shit.'_ Jumping out of bed, he threw some clothes on and rushed to the door, meeting Sasuke and Sakura in the threshold. No one spoke for a while. Sakura and Kakashi had nothing to say to each other, and needless to say, Sasuke was never much of a conversationalist. Deciding something had to be said to break the awkward silence, he cleared his throat.

"We just came to pick up some of her stuff."

"Can you come back later?" Kakashi scratched the back of his head. He suddenly felt even guiltier than he'd been feeling since they'd returned to Konoha. It was bad enough he hadn't been able to stop what had happened in the Stone country, but it wouldn't do to have Sakura walking into the room she slept beside him in for the past month, and discover another woman sleeping in her place.

"No." Sasuke answered. "I'll wait out here, Sakura."

She nodded silently and made her way to Kakashi's bedroom carrying a large bag.

"Sakura, wait. Don't go in there." He tried to say, but was too late. Sakura stood at his bedroom door, staring at the sleeping figure on his bed.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped in quietly and grabbed her clothes from the closet and stuffed it into her bag as fast as she could. When she was finished, she practically ran out. "Let's go now, Sasuke."

Kakashi rubbed his forehead. "Where are you going?"

"Does it matter?" Sakura spat.

"What the hell is thatsupposed to mean?"

Sasuke took a few steps away from them, deciding he didn't need this right now.

"Well, you've been treating me like a freaking leper ever since we escaped, and it seems like you've already found another woman to occupy your bed with. Does it really matter to you where I stay, or if I even live or die? Weren't you the one that suggested I leave in the first place?"

"Look... I just want to know where you're staying, just like Naruto or Sasuke would like to know. Damn it, Sakura." He was finding it hard to remain patient with her at this point, no matter what guilt he felt.

"That's right. Damn it all. I don't have to tell you anything."

"Jesus Christ, she's moving back into her house. You two are annoying the hell out of me." Sasuke grunted and walked out the door. This was no way to start out the day.

"That's not a good idea." Kakashi reached for the door knob and stood in Sakura's way before she could leave his apartment. "They know that place, Sakura, if they come back for you again, how are you going to stop them?"

"They don't have time to come back for me. It doesn't matter anymore. I don't care."

"How can you say that? Do you seriously not care if they come back and put you through all that again?" He shut the door and locked it; leaving Sasuke waiting outside.

"Do you? Why are you so worried all of the sudden? You didn't even come see me in the hospital, so it's not like you give a rat's ass about me. It's fine though, because I don't care about you either." She tried to reach for the doorknob, but Kakashi grabbed her by the shoulders. He was shaking her angrily and held her against the wall.

"Don't say things you don't mean."

Sakura went rigid upon contact, looking at the ground. "Please let me go." Her voice shook.

He immediately stepped away from her after hearing the tone in her voice. "I'm sorry. Look, just think about what I said… I'm sure Sasuke or Naruto wouldn't mind if you stayed at either of their places, alright?" He was about to continue when they were interrupted by a half dressed Yume.

"Kakashi-kun? Who's that?"

Sakura stared at the older woman and turned to the door. "Whatever." She grabbed the doorknob and let herself out.

Kakashi just stood there and stared at the door in silence.

* * *

Aqualass: ("how could these people who arent really even trained shinobi evade them for so long?...") 

well I never said they weren't trained shinobi. In fact, the first chapter pretty much says they are Stone shinobi, or were. (They had stone head protectors and gear.) well yeah, that's all I'm going to say for now – I don't want to give anything away.

Iceygaze: ("isn't kakashi a little too weak in the last two chapter? personally i think he is the strongest shinobi in konoha after the sannin but the way they got him is quite strange")

It wasn't my intention to make him seem weaker than he actually is. But he couldn't really detect an attack from behind on a crowded dance floor… there were too many people around, and as said, they were closely surrounded by people at the time. Then the drugs their captors kept them on prevented him from being able to do anything, and if not the drugs, it was the chains that kept him from being able to move. He may be strong, but… be realistic.

Kyoharu: ("that was sick and twisted. a good punc line ; but still sick and twisted.")

um.. I'm sorry? I gave it the appropriate rating, so it's not like you weren't warned.

Ruka-kun: ("great chapter, with a lot happening. The rescue scene was indeed a little weird and vague, but overall it was a good chapter, and I can't wait for the next!")

thanks; yeah I'm definitely going to revise that chapter in the near future.

Hope I cleared some things up for you guys. Y'know, I do think about these things before writing this crap – I'm not a total blonde.


	14. Exhaustion

I'm really sorry for the huge delay. I'm suffering from writer's block – I think all my creative energy has been directed to my art lately, so I haven't been able to write for the past few weeks. If you want to see what I'm talking about, visit my deviantart page (toonekked). I'm sorry this is so short. I wrote bits and pieces throughout last week and finally I gave up and decided to go ahead and publish it.

I know what's going to happen next though, and the next few chapters will be a lot better and a lot more entertaining; I promise.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Exhaustion**

Kakashi sat up in his bed staring at the wall silently. He'd sent Yume home a couple hours ago and had been in this position ever since. His apartment felt empty and when he looked somewhere other than the wall, he still half-expected someone to be sitting there watching him. It was still raining outside and as he listened to the soft beating of rain against his window he thought back to when Sakura had been missing.

It was raining then as well, and had kept raining for the entire three months. In the morning he would force himself to get up just a little bit earlier than usual, because Sakura always yelled at him for being late. At night he and Sasuke would pass each other in same street. They didn't look or speak to each other. They didn't need to… they both knew where one was headed and the other was coming from.

Kakashi would arrive at Sakura's apartment complex and walk around the perimeter. He would jump into the tree that sat across from Sakura's bedroom window and peer into the window. From there, he could see the dark maroon stain that covered her bed sheets. After a few moments of staring, he'd climb out of the tree and make his way into the building.

Dust had settled upon every surface of the apartment, but neither he nor Sasuke dared to clean it. They didn't touch anything; as if afraid it would all shatter and Sakura's memory would go with it. All they had was her memory. Kakashi had committed to his memory every detail, every piece of furniture and its position in the apartment, even how far each door was opened down to each fraction of an inch. And each night he'd visited, nothing had changed. Every night he would search for something different in the apartment… something that would tell him she might still be alive, or that at the very least her captors had come back for something and he'd have a chance to beat them into a bloody pulp. The blood stain on her bed only confirmed that Sakura was deader each night that passed.

It stopped raining when their Sakura returned to the Hidden Village of Leaf. The sun came out to welcome her back into their lives. But back in the present, it was raining again though Sakura was there.

Kakashi glanced briefly at the clock… 11:00 PM. He'd wasted the entire day, blew off most of his duties, and was now sitting alone in the dark. With a sigh, he reached over to turn the lamp off and settled back into his bed.

* * *

Sakura sat in bed in a very similar position to Kakashi's. Her apartment needed cleaning and dusting, having been entirely vacant for the past five months, but she didn't want to touch anything. Sitting in the bed she was stabbed in five months ago was already too much. Looking out the window, a flash of lightning appeared before her eyes. She opened the window and stuck her head out, enjoying the rain. It was clean, and the moist raindrops hitting her face was the only thing she could feel now. She was numb inside and her heart refused to confront the emotions she'd buried inside of her. Inner-Sakura was locked away because she didn't want to hear her anymore… and for now; she was content just to have her whole world on pause.

An hour later, and the inevitability of pain washed over her like a tsunami. The paranoia became more intense, and she was too scared to close her eyes. This predicament forced her to think about her feelings, and with blind rage, she picked up the glass of water on her nightstand and threw it against the wall. Shattered pieces of glass fell against the floor with a jingle, and she reached up to her head with both hands, grabbing fistfuls of hair. "Damn it!"

Streams of thoughts entered her mind, embedding deep into her heart until she could feel the heaviness in her chest. _'How could he do this? How could he leave me all alone at a time like this? Doesn't he know how I feel about him? How could he forget me so easily? Is he disgusted with what happened, or is he really disgusted with me?'_ She threw the covers back and slipped onto the floor. She didn't want to touch that bed… She didn't want anything to touch her. It was all poison. Everyone around her was poison. Kakashi was poison.

Then Sasuke's voice ran through her ears. _"He doesn't hate you. He hates himself."_

'_Just what the hell did he mean by that?'_ She thought about it for a long time… just laying there, curled up on the floor and hugging her knees to her chest.

Finally, she got out of bed, slipped her sandals and jacket on, and left the apartment.

* * *

It was 1:30, and Kakashi still couldn't fall asleep. He laid there on his side; staring blankly at the clock and watching the minutes go by. Almost too soft to hear, the slow creaking sound of his front door opening made his hand reach to the kunai under his mattress. Gentle footsteps made their way to his bedroom door and he released the blade as he felt the familiar presence. He closed his eyes again and pretended to be asleep as the intruder moved to the bed and laid down next to him.

"I don't blame you," a voice whispered.

"Sakura…"

"You can't blame yourself for what happened," she continued without letting him speak. "It wasn't your fault, and I never once blamed you for not being able to help."

There was silence after that, and she desperately wanted him to say something back to her. With a sob that even she didn't know was coming, she reached out and clung to him. "I'm just exhausted… being in that apartment is exhausting. Being awake is exhausting. Being scared is exhausting, and hating you and not having you by my side is the most exhausting of all. I just want it all to stop, Kakashi…"

More silence… just the soft sound of her crying and then a sigh from him. "Okay."

"Okay…" she agreed.


	15. Teeter Totter

First and foremost, I decided to widen the age gap in the beginning, because as I thought about it, seventeen seems too young for Sakura at this point, and that would have given only four or five years from when they were Genins. And that actually isn't much time at all. Sakura has now just turned nineteen years old in the beginning of chapter one.

I also apologize again for how short the last chapter was; but I did warn you that it would be.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Teeter Totter**

'_Things are weird,' _Kakashi thought to himself as he awoke to find Sakura lying in his arms. He knew nothing happened the night before and they had just been holding each other through the night. But even that was a step towards the unordinary, and now things between teacher and student were in an awkward in-between stage, or so at least he thought. Their relationship was teetering between companionship and commitment, and Kakashi didn't know which way to sway. It was weird.

Untangling himself from his young former student, Kakashi made his way out of the room and into the kitchen. A loud knocking sound made him wince, and he hurriedly went to the door; afraid the noise would wake Sakura, and things would be even weirder.

"Kaka-sensei! Sakura is --"

"Here. And quiet down, she's still sleeping." Kakashi interrupted. Naruto stared at him with his mouth still wide open. The older Jounin shook his head slowly in dismay. It had been over seven years, and Naruto was still as loud and unsubtle as ever. Some ninja he made.

Naruto regained himself and looked over Kakashi's shoulder into the apartment. "She's here? Is she going to live here again?"

"I don't know. Maybe… I don't know. She just sort of showed up last night." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

The blue eyes of the infamous loud-mouthed ninja widened at his former sensei. "Last night? You mean you two…"

"NO." Kakashi stopped him before he could finish and slammed the door in his face. _'Like that would be so bad, either way? Hell, it probably would have been my idea.'_

"Kaka-sensei? Was that Naruto?" Sakura called from down the hall.

"Hai, you weren't at your apartment, so he got worried."

He watched as Sakura came from the hallway dressed in one of his old sweaters. It was far too large and the sleeves were a few inches too long. The bottom of the sweater stopped just above the middle of her thighs, and he tried not to look too interested in the rest of her legs or the fact that if she sat the right way, he'd probably see a lot more of her than he ever would have needed to when she was a young student of his. But she was… really… grown up now. He'd be a blind idiot if he didn't notice. "Uh, do you need to pick up your things?" _'Like, pants for instance?'_

"So I can stay with you again?" Her bright green eyes lit up like stars in the sky. It made him smile under his mask.

"For as long as you need to." He assured.

* * *

Sakura had decided to go alone, since Kakashi was summoned to headquarters that morning. Rain poured down against her large umbrella, but Kakashi's large sweater kept her warm. It's funny how walking alone in the rain can make it impossible to stop thinking about so many things. All sorts of thoughts swam in her head about last night. She didn't know how she felt about Kakashi. She had loved him for seven years as her friend and teacher. He was like an older brother, or even a close uncle to her. He taught her how to be a ninja; how to take care of her loved ones. He made her who she was today.

When she came back to Konoha the first time, they'd both settled into a more adult friendship. It wasn't that he'd stopped being her teacher, but at nineteen years old, she'd stopped being his student. They were roommates, to put it simply, and he'd comforted her through the long nights if waking up scared and hysterical. They were closer than they'd been before, without crossing any boundaries. But things weren't like that anymore – not since last night, anyway. Things were awkward and tense, and she wasn't sure if she liked it. She'd made it blatantly obvious that she had deeper feelings for him than mere friendship and comradery, and he had accepted it for the night. But would either of them let their relationship grow? Would either of them dare to step over that border?

Sakura shook her head slightly… _'It'd be too weird. He probably just felt like he was obligated to comfort me. He's not interested in me like that, and I'm not even sure if I am either. And who was that girl from earlier? Are they together? God, is that the kind of girl he likes?'_

As if on cue, Sakura looked up to find the woman standing at the end of the sidewalk, facing her. _'Is she waiting for me?'_ Sakura blinked confusedly.

Yume watched the younger woman as she came closer to her. Her fists rolled up into little balls as she spoke. "I saw you."

Sakura's walk came to a halt as she stood there with an upturned brow. Looking over the woman, she almost blanched in disgust, knowing what she'd been doing with Kakashi two nights ago. She has long blond hair, brown eyes, and a heart shaped face, but the first thing anyone one would be sure to notice about the woman were her breasts. It was like she had all of Konoha's mammary glands combined. "Nani?"

"I saw you go into Kakashi-kun's apartment last night. You never came out. What were you doing?"

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"It is my business! Me and Kakashi are together now, and if you think you can just take him from right under my nose, you've got another thing coming!" Yume dropped her left foot in back of her in classic stance.

Sakura stared at the blonde, not sure what to do or say. "So… what, do you wanna fight me or something?"

"What do you think!"

"Listen, lady I don't care what you and Kakashi-sensei do. I went to his apartment because I used to live there with him, and I still do now."

"Liar! Why haven't I seen you there until now!" she yelled. Just then, another Yume appeared next to her, and both came running towards Sakura.

Sakura made no move to dodge just yet. She stood there for a moment, observing the other woman's attack. She had good movement, but was a little sloppy, and judging from her civilian attire, Sakura guessed her to be an ex-nin. She had no time for this. Yume's first punch came rushing towards her, and Sakura easily bobbed around it. Then came Yume's leg, which she blocked swiftly before jumping back. "Look, I don't want to fight you, ok? You can have Kakashi; I don't care." _'Yes I do. This isn't just jealousy either; you're not good enough for him.'_

"Are you scared, little girl? You must be more than half his age… what could you possibly know about satisfying a man like him?"

"I would be careful about pissing me off, lady. I've had a bad… ever." Sakura sneered. She was having enough of this and she wasn't exactly known for keeping her temper in control.

Yume laughed tauntingly and charged again, arms and legs flying. Sakura easily dodged and blocked all of her attacks, and fed up with the fight, sent her knee into the older woman's stomach. Yume grunted in pain and skidded backwards.

Sakura sighed heavily, rubbing the back of her head. "I don't have time for this. If you don't get out of my face soon, I'm really going to get angry."

It old made Yume angrier, and putting her hands together, began to form seals.

"Mou, Yamate!" Sakura yelled. _'Is she really serious about this?'_

"Haritsuba no jutsu!" Needles came flying out of Yume's mouth. Sakura quickly dived to the side, rolled, and was on her feet again, picking up a few fallen needles on the way.

'_Damnit, I don't have any of my own weapons with me.' _

"Oi! What's going on over there!"

Sakura and Yume both turned towards the voice, and recognized the Hokage immediately.

"What's the problem here?" Tsunade asked as she approached the two women. She observed the scene quickly and made her own assessment. Judging from the needles sticking out of the ground, and their angle, they must have been aimed at Sakura. Seeing that she only had a few needles – probably some she picked up from the ground – she wasn't prepared for a battle, having no weapons or even a holster of her own. She turned to her former student. "Sakura?"

Sakura stared at Yume for a moment before facing Tsunade and offering a fake smile. "No problem here. Just a friendly spar."

Tsunade looked skeptical. "In the middle of the street?"

Shrugging, Sakura just walked away.

The Hokage let out a perturbed sigh and turned to the other girl. "Yume… you leave Sakura alone. She has been through enough; do you understand? That is an order!"

"Hai…" Yume didn't know what she meant by having gone through enough, but she didn't really care either. "Is that all?"

"Yes, go." Tsunade watched her leave in the other direction. '_Insolent little bug. No wonder why she never made it as a shinobi.'_

* * *

Kakashi leisurely made his way to his usual training grounds, already hearing the clang of metal. As suspected, Sasuke was already there working up a sweat. He watched his former student from the usual tree he sat in back in the old days, while his students waited up to an hour for him to arrive. Pulling out one of the rice-balls he bought on the way there from his pocket, he aimed at the back of Sasuke's head and threw it.

Predictably, Sasuke spun and caught it in one hand. He looked up into the tree to find his teacher standing there with his one visible eye wrinkled upwards in what he recognized as a smile.

"Thanks." Sasuke unwrapped the rice-ball and took a bite from it.

"Am I going to get that field to myself any time soon?"

"No… do you want to fight me for it?" Sasuke smirked.

"Nah…" Kakashi jumped onto the ground and leaned back against the tree trunk. "Actually, I wanted to ask you about something."

The Uchiha quirked an eyebrow slightly and waited for him to continue.

"Was Sakura good to you?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, all those years when you were all younger… she really loved you. Was she good to you?"

"Can she be anything else to anyone she loves?" Sasuke couldn't tell where he was going with this.

"I suppose not."

"She took care of me. I didn't have anyone else." He didn't know why he even said that. He coughed uncomfortably. "She's more of a sister to me now though."

"Yeah."

"You're too old for her, Kakashi."

"I know… but… we live the life of shinobi. Age just seems so insignificant."

"Aa. Well, I guess as long as you take care of her, you won't have a problem."

Kakashi nodded silently.

"Because you know I'll kick your ass if you don't." The usually reserved Sasuke decided that it had to be said. In all these years, he'd learned about Kakashi's reputation with women. They usually came home with him for the night and then never heard from him again. The fact that Sakura was more than half his age just made him more nervous about the situation.

"Hai, hai."

Just then a large boom sounded through the village of Konoha. The two Jounin immediately turned towards the sound, and both spotted smoke rising from the east.

Kakashi's eye widened and his feet shifted in that direction. "Looks like headquarters. Let's move."

* * *

Sakura came running through the crowd, pushing her way against the rush of people hurrying to get away from the explosion. The lower east level of the tower had been completely blown out.

Another explosion blasted the middle level, and the sound combined with the screaming of the people around her made her cringe. She quickly assessed the damage and made some calculations in her head before yelling. "Everyone get out of the way!"

The tower started to teeter totter from left to right. When it became apparent that it would fall to the left, everyone in the area scrambled out of the way. Sakura's eyes widened as she noticed a little girl standing directly under the oncoming tower. From where she was standing, Sakura predicted that the very tip of the tower would crush the girl if she didn't get out of the way. Hearing the child's cry, Sakura came running to her with all the speed in her. She quickly pulled the little girl in back of her. She glanced at the falling tower – it was still only at about fourty degrees. _'There's still time for this.'_

She quickly molded her chakra and made the seals as fast as she could. "Doton! Doroku Gaeshi!" Driving her arm into the ground, she pulled up a shield of earth to protect them. Knowing that it wouldn't be enough, she immediately jumped over the barrier, leaving the girl under it and drew all her chakra to her right fist.

When the building came, she took a deep breath and yelled. "Shannaro!" With all her force, she drove her fist into the tower, splitting the concrete with insane power. Huge portions of the building divided to the right and left of her, missing the girl by a few meters. But that was just one side of the tower. Sakura's eyes widened again – she couldn't gather up enough chakra in time. Shutting her eyes and throwing her arms up to protect her head, she waited for impact.

It never came. Tsunade appeared in front of her, blasting the rest of the tower to pieces with her own fist.

"Hokage-sama!" Sakura sighed in relief. She really thought that would be the end of her.

"Good job Haruno. Take the girl somewhere safe, and come back here right away. We're under attack. Tell any shinobi you see on your way to report here immediately, but tell some to go protect the academy! Go!"

"Hai!" Sakura dropped to her feet and scooped the little girl into her arms. "Daijoubu?"

"I… I want my mommy…"

"I don't know where she is, little one. I'll take you somewhere safe, and we'll go find her later, okay?" She sprinted away, girl in tow.

* * *

Turning the corner of a street, a voice made her stop in her tracks.

"Well, well boys, look who it is…"

"Goro…" She said the name slowly… testing the sound of it on her tongue, in that deathly tone that only Kakashi had heard her use once.

"Kigome!"

"Ka-chan!" the little girl yelled from Sakura's back. Sakura let her down slowly.

"Kigome! Thank goodness, I was looking all over for you; I was so scared!"

"Kigome-chan… run to your mother and get away from here." Sakura said softly. The little girl looked from men to her savior and went running, dragging her mother away from the scene.

* * *

"Tsunade obaa-chan!" Naruto hollered. More explosions could be heard from around the village.

"Uzumaki! Get these men in line!" the Hokage ordered. She sprinted off in the direction of the nearest sounding blast, six Chunnin and Shizune behind her.

"Hai! Alright, everyone get into teams of two and three! I want two of you to get to the academy! I need two groups to gather the wounded and get them to the hospital… the rest of you stay here and await orders!" Naruto scanned the area, looking for his friends.

"Naruto, where's Sakura!" Sasuke called from behind. Kakashi came shortly after.

"I don't know, I haven't seen her. Do you think she's alright?"

A chunnin spoke up from the group. "She split the tower apart and saved some toddler from getting pummeled… Hokage-sama sent her to find more help. But that was a while ago…"

"Naruto, Sasuke… go find her. We need a medic, and… well we all know who's behind this. She's in danger if she's alone. I'll handle things here." Truth be told, the Copy Ninja wanted to go himself, but he was a better leader than his two students.

- to be continued -

* * *

Alright, I'm ending this chapter here. I told you I had big plans for this fic. I'm also working on an illustration of Sakura with her new look, but it probably won't be done for a while. And i put my other fic (Penance - a sasusaku fic) on hold until this one is finished.

**Blackrose113:** Yeah, I love that show, and I just had to use the line, because it fit so perfectly with what was going on in the chapter.

**Ruke-kun, LadieAnimeFreek and bungeecord:** Thanks a lot for the wonderful reviews.

**Hao'sAnjul:** Yes, obviously.

And after reading my reviews more thoroughly, I guess it's time for a brief vocabulary lesson, both for previous chapters and future ones.

**Teme** _(temay): _Bastard  
**Dobe** _(dohbay): _Dead-last; dumbass; retard.  
**Baka** _(bahkah):_ Idiot.  
**Urusai** _(yoordusie):_ Shut up.  
**Aishiteru** _(ieeesheeterdoo):_ I love you.  
**Suki da yo**_ (sookee dah yoh):_ I like you.  
**Itadakimasu** _(eetuhdahkeemahsoo):_ Common exclamation used before eating a meal.  
**Kunoichi** _(koonoheechee):_ Female Ninja  
**Nani**_ (nahnee):_ What?  
**Nande** _(nahnday):_ Why?  
**Hai** _(hie):_ Yes.  
**Ohayu gozaimasu** _(ohhieyuh gohzaheemahsoo):_ Good Morning  
**Anone** _(ahno):_ Hey; Say, listen, etc.  
**Sumi masen** _(soomee mahsen): _Excuse me  
**Gomen; Gomenesai** _(gohmenessie): _Sorry  
**Ah, soo desu ka** _(Ahsoh deska): _Oh, I see…  
**Wakarimasen** _(Wahkahrdeemahsen): _I don't know, I don't understand.  
**Wakaranai** _(Wahkahrdanie):_ I know  
**Ikimasho** _(Eekeemahsho): _Let's go  
**Kudasai** _(Koodasie):_ Please  
**Yamate; Mou, Yamate** _(Moh, Yahmehtay): _Stop.  
**Moshi Moshi** _(Mohshee): _Hello (On the telephone only)  
**Dattebayo** _(Dahttaybieyoh): _Meaningless expression used by Naruto. Think of the common add-on used by Canadians: 'ay' (ex: "That Naruto is pretty cool, ay?")  
**Shine** _(Sheenay):_ Die!  
**Genki desu ka? **_(geng'ee deska):_ How are you?  
**Daijoubu **_(Diejohboo):_ Okay (or 'Are you okay?')


	16. Fight

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Fight**

Smoke rose above the trees and rooftops of Konoha as loud blasts sounded around the village. Amongst the booming explosions, the screams of Konoha's people could be heard… some were screams full of fear and surprise, while others were less shrill and panicked – those were the cries of warriors as they attacked each other. Those sounds came instinctively from the shinobi, as if it somehow helped balance out the adrenaline; take some of the excitement away so they would have more control over their movements.

Only one street was silent, as Sakura stood observing the men that had just began to surround her. A quick glance would tell her that there were only four that had shown themselves to her, and directly in front of her was a face she knew too well. _'Goro… he'll die first.' _

It was his face that she remembered hovering over hers with the same wicked and grotesque smile; that look of sick desire and satisfaction. It was his face and the faces of his brother's and comrades' that haunted her dreams at night.

While Sakura was unable to defeat these men before and escape from that hell, she knew this time would be different. She wasn't snuck up on this time… she wasn't drugged, paralyzed, or otherwise bonded. Four bigger men against herself was probably as fair as it could be. The only thing that scared her was the feeling that she would be happy for their deaths. She knew it was natural to want them dead after what they'd put her through, but it wasn't usually within her nature to enjoy killing anyone. It worried her, but she pushed that feeling to the back of her mind and fell into a defensive stance.

"Come."

* * *

"Oi, Sasuke do you think Sakura is alright out there?" Naruto ran as fast as he could beside his comrade, eager to find the other member of their team.

"These men didn't come back for her; they have a bigger purpose. They won't be prepared to face her with some sort of drug this time." At least that's what Sasuke hoped.

"So you think she'll be fine… like she can take them, no problem?"

"She's strong, but we don't know how many she could be up against. Anyone of these men could recognize her, and that makes her a bull's-eye."

"Wakata-ttebayo!"

"Naruto! Look out!" Sasuke snatched a kunai from his holster and flung it into the air. The cling of steel sounded as his blade deflected another that had been aimed at Naruto's head. "Dobe, you didn't see that coming?" he quipped.

"Shit, not now." The blonde ninja stopped in his tracks as three ninja jumped out of the trees in front of him, and another three surrounded his companion.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Fire billowed out of Sasuke's mouth as he swung his head around to catch two of his opponents with his attack. One of them screamed out in pain as his entire body caught on fire, and the other almost didn't have time to scream. The third one barely got away in time.

Meanwhile, Naruto and two of his clones were battling it out with each of his attackers. As one bunshin jammed a kunai into his opponent's stomach, another shadow clone jumped up and delivered a powerful kick to his own enemy's head, knocking him out and sending him crashing to the ground. By the time Naruto finished off the last shinobi, Sasuke was already a couple meters away.

"Let's go, damn it!" the Uchiha yelled back, feeling somewhat proud that he was able to finish first.

* * *

Kakashi stood kunai against kunai with his opponent, his Sharingan swirling in action. All around him was the sound of clashing steel and ninja shouting in battle. The enemy had just begun to invade the village centre, and he had already lost three men in his unit. Growling lowly at his opponent, he jumped back to create some distance, but wasted no time in charging again. Sensing something coming up from behind him, he quickly dashed to the side, just in time to watch two shuriken whiz by and nail his first opponent in the chest.

Another person came up from behind him just as he regained his footing, and jumped onto his back. Instinctively, Kakashi flipped him over his shoulder, and sent him flying into another enemy ninja.

Looking around him, he took a short moment to calculate the damage and check on the other members of his unit. He hoped to god that Sakura was doing better. He hoped that his other students had found her before something bad happened to her.

* * *

"Oof!" – Sakura landed on her back, immediately pulling her knees up and vaulting back onto her feet. Kunai already in her hand, she dashed forward towards her nearest opponent and delivered a powerful kick to his chest, spinning on one heal and sending her kunai into his neck with one fluid movement. Pulling it out, she ducked to avoid a kick from her next opponent, then grabbed the leg and sent him flying into two more men. Scanning the area, she counted seven men left surrounding her, including Goro.

The first one came running towards her, swiping a saber at her head. She ducked and rolled easily out of the way, then threw her own blade towards his side. It stuck, and the man went tumbling to the ground as two more approached Sakura. Putting her hands together quickly, she performed some seals and yelled out, "Katon! Karyuu Endan!" Breathing in deeply, she drew a full chest of air… then, exhaling, she produced a very large stream of fire that approached her enemies like a huge wall. The two shinobi fell to the ground, burnt to a crisp, and the last three left Goro behind as they came rushing towards the kunoichi.

The first one jumped and sent a foot into her back, causing her to fall forward and into the knee of the second man. As it connected with her face, she used the impact to put her foot forward and regain her balance. Throwing her arms up to block the fists of two of her opponents, she cried out as one kicked her stomach and she was sent backwards again towards the third man. She seemed to be trapped in this little circle, like a ball bouncing from wall to wall. Exhausted, she could only keep her arms up to protect her head.

Then, suddenly as the two at her front sent her back again, she landed on the ground. Looking up and back, she didn't see the third man, and instead, Sasuke stood in his place.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto came running towards the group as Sasuke beat off the other two shinobi. Helping Sakura to her feet, Naruto made a cursory glance at her injuries. "Daijoubu?"

"I'm alright. Please, Naruto leave the last one to me." Sakura looked up at him, relieved.

"Sakura-chan, I can't do that, you're too tired."

"Please, Naruto I need to do this!" She glanced towards Goro, his arms crossed over his chest, an amused smirk on his face as he observed the three members of Team 7.

Naruto looked at him too, anger in his eyes, before settling his gaze back onto his friend. "Okay…"

"No." Sasuke said firmly, two men unconscious around his feet. "Sakura, go back and report to Tsunade."

"What? Sasuke, I have to kill him, I have to get my revenge, please!" She pleaded.

"Sakura, don't forget who you're talking to… I know revenge. I know how dark of a place it is, and I don't want you to be there. You're better than that."

"I don't care." Sakura looked at him angrily, then to Goro again, who seemed to be standing there patiently waiting for a decision to be made.

"You know what it did to me, Sakura… do you really want that for yourself?"

She thought for a long time… she glanced at his cursed seal with a sigh… she knew what revenge had turned him into. "No… you're right."

--- to be continued

* * *

Just a brief update. So sorry, you guys! I have no excuse for not updating this for so long, but a massive creativity block. I'll try to update again SOON, since this was so short. 


	17. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Well it certainly has been a while since I've touched any of my stories. I've just began writing a Twilight fanfic, called _Apprehension_ so if you're into Twilight, I really suggest you read that.

As for this story, I am NOT planning to continue as things are. I've read the whole thing over and I'm a little disappointed with it, which is why I've never felt inspired to finish it. I will, however, be _rewriting_ it. I'll probably start that after I'm finished with _Apprehension_.

So hopefully you all who've got _Of Rain And Blossoms___on story alert can all look forward to that.

Sorry for the long wait!


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